Access Granted
by Elorapid
Summary: A series of "firsts" for Pepper and Tony. Movieverse. Pepperony, eventually. Please note rating change. Complete.
1. Trust

**I own nothing! Enjoy.**

Three months.

That's all it had been. Three simple months is all it took for Pepper to become Tony Stark's right hand woman. She was there with coffee, with the latest news (about him), with the latest stock figures for Stark Industries, with his plans and meetings and his toothbrush. Pepper had quietly become indispensible to Mr. Stark – a fact that was splashed across the tabloids but, for the most part, ignored by Pepper Potts herself. She took her days in stride, managing and being the epitome of punctual and prepared with her less than predictable boss.

But that day – that day, Mr. Stark took Pepper Potts completely by surprise.

She stood in the kitchen, listening to the coffee brew while she rescheduled Tony's afternoon meeting with marketing for the morning.

"Perfection," came his voice from the door. Tony wandered in, grabbing a mug and pouring some coffee before it had finished. His hair was tousled and his dark eyes seemed especially tired.

"Coffee's not done yet," Pepper said, not looking up from her phone.

"Don't care." He dumped in sugar. "Where's the –"

"In the pantry door, right side." She looked up from her Blackberry to see Tony emerging from the pantry with creamer in hand. "Did you even go to sleep last night?" she asked.

"Don't need to."

"Mr. Stark-"

"Ms. Potts."

Pepper gave him a stern look but said nothing. He had been preoccupied by a project for the last three weeks and Pepper knew better than to mother him about it. She watched him sip his coffee, his eyes closed, one hand rubbing a temple. Pepper frowned – she suspected he hadn't eaten in hours, and that he had slept even less.

"I'll cancel your meeting with marketing this morning," she said resignedly, peeved that she had pointlessly rescheduled it at all. She looked up from her phone temporarily and found Tony's dark stare on her. "What?"

"Why are you cancelling?"

"Because you look like hell."

"You mean hellishly handsome?"

"No, I mean you look like you haven't slept in days. I'm giving you the morning to sleep. Otherwise you'll become even less willing to cooperate with me and your schedule."

"You have a point."

"Bed," Pepper said, snatching his coffee from him and putting it aside.

"Only if you'll come with."

"_Mr. Stark_." Pepper was blushing, always caught off guard by the easy flirting of Tony Stark.

"Ms. Potts," he said, and abruptly stopped the banter, looking at her seriously. "Come with me."

Pepper knew he was done with the joking – his tone had grown more serious. "What-"

But Tony had disappeared out of the kitchen already and Pepper clicked behind him to catch up, then wondered vaguely what was smeared across the back of his arms. When he came to an abrupt halt at the top of the stairs that led to his workshop, Pepper nearly collided with him. She looked up and found him staring again – she felt herself grow warm.

"Mr. Stark what are we doing?"

"I'm the only one allowed in the lab."

"Yes, I know."

"It's stupid. You know, in case I die, someone should have access to my brilliance," he continued, grinning.

"Are you planning on dying soon?" Her tone was light and joking – she wondered when it had become okay to talk like this to him. "That would case me a huge headache."

"I'll give you warning. For now," he said, turning and heading down the stairs. She followed after a momentary pause at the top, never having gone down before, usually opting to use Jarvis as the messenger instead. It was his sanctuary, and Pepper suspected that he went down there specifically to avoid everyone else. She reached the bottom and gazed through the glass walls, amazed by the size and the clutter. And the _cars…._

"Jarvis, initiate new allowance for access."

"_What_?" Pepper said, whirling on him, eyes wide.

"Initiated, sir," Jarvis' cool voice replied. "Please press your forefinger to the pad, Miss Potts." A rectangle appeared on the glass near the door, outlined in a faint blue glow.

"I don't think-"

"Time's a wasting, Potts." Tony grabbed her right hand and extended her pointer finger. His hand, rough and big, was gentle on hers, a fact that Pepper was not at all prepared for. Had she ever touched him like this before?

_Shut up, you sound like a thirteen year old. _

Tony pressed her finger to cool glass, where it glowed slightly. When he pulled her hand away the white fingerprint stayed for a moment before vanishing.

"Enter a four digit access code, Ms. Potts," Jarvis commanded.

Instead of listening to the AI Pepper turned to Tony.

"Why are you doing this?"

"So that you can borrow my soldering iron."

"_Tony_."

"I trust you."

Pepper faltered, wondered if using his first name was too personal. Uncertainty crept into her voice. "I…I've only worked for you for a few months."

"Which is a few months more than my previous assistants."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not. Am I kidding Jarvis?"

"The previous record for your position was two weeks, Ms. Potts."

Pepper felt her eyebrows rise; she could pretty well guess why the other women had left. She remembered her first few days quite well, between Tony's over-the-top flirting and casual touching before Pepper had put a foot down on all that business. She was not a toy, she had told him sternly, and since then he hadn't tried anything quite that forward again.

"See?" Tony said, shrugging. "Pepper what's the big deal? It's not like I'm asking you to give me heart surgery. It's just four numbers. And shiny cars."

A moment passed in which Pepper weighed her options and finally gave up. "Fine," she said, and paused for a fraction of a moment before entering a number.

"Thank you," Jarvis said. "Access granted."

The door slid unlocked with a gentle click and Tony walked through. Pepper followed slowly behind, letting her gaze wander. Her legs moved her first toward the line of cars. She let her hand graze the hood of each one as she passed, the metal cool to the touch. On the wall behind her were sketches of schematics and designs, drawn in pen and graphite, neat scribbles written in the margins. She turned from the wall and found Tony watching her intently.

"Don't steal my designs," he said finally.

Pepper could only bring herself to smile shyly. She was in one of the most brilliant engineer's design basement. She was fairly certain she had just been given access to things worth millions, to the literal, real-life translation of genius. But what made Pepper smile was that it was Tony's most private space – Tony, whose eyes were boring into her, whose soft grin lit his face and made her want to laugh.

"Thank you Mr. Stark."

"Anytime, Ms. Potts."

Pepper hastily found something to say, afraid of the impending silence that suddenly seemed thicker in the workshop than it ever did in the back of the car. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

"Can you bring my coffee down for me?" Tony asked, sitting down at his computer. "I need to see what your legs look like coming down the stairs."

"No, you're supposed to be sleeping," Pepper replied, dismissing his side comment. "Bed. Now."

"Tuck me in?" Tony leaned back, his hands clasped behind his head. His smile was dangerous. "I can see your legs that way, too."

"Mr. Stark. Now. Or I'll make you attend the finance meeting tomorrow morning."

"You play dirty," he replied, forfeiting and standing up.

"It seems to be the only way to get you to listen to me," Pepper said, a sigh creeping in at the end.

As Tony passed her on his way to the stairs, he leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath on her neck.

"I like it," he said, grinning. "Wake me in two hours."

She watched his form bound up the stairs and demurely pushed her bangs from her face. Even Pepper Potts couldn't keep the soft smile from gracing her lips.


	2. Women

**Explanatory note: I want this to be a series of "first" events between Pepper and Tony. I'm sure it's been done and I apologize (I didn't mean to steal). There is no chronology between the events, and none of them are particularly connected. **

**That said, I'm not really sure for what event this is a "first." Many things, I suppose.**

**Again, I own nothing and no infringement intended. Enjoy.**

**---**

If Pepper Potts learned one thing quickly under Tony Stark's employment, it was that his reputation preceded him. Especially his reputation with women. Pepper could understand how women could fall for it – the winning grin, the wink, the casual touches that gently grew more insistent through the night. Not that she had experienced it. No. That wasn't it. But she could understand.

She had found it odd, at first, that Tony never mentioned any of the women he brought home. Not once. The only time he had directly talked about his promiscuity was the first time he had brought a woman home while Pepper was his PA.

She had been working in front of the television, watching with mild interest the clips from the fundraising event that evening. Tony, of course, looked dashing. The women on his arms – well, Pepper sighed, they were beautiful. She had heard the front door open an hour ago, heard faint giggling and Tony's slightly drunken voice. Pepper had simply turned up the television, reminded of her days in college with her less-than-innocent roommate. She had rolled her eyes and busied herself with her work.

She was surprised when he spoke behind her.

"Pepper."

She jumped, a hand flying up to her chest. "Mr. Stark – I didn't even hear you."

His face showed no signs of ecstasy or pleasure, nothing to indicate he had spent the past hour tangling in sheets with an anonymous face. There was a slight smile on his lips, and his eyes seemed to glimmer, but Pepper was unnerved by his calm demeanor.

"You should go home, Pepper."

She blushed furiously. Of course she should –_he had a guest_. Pepper was suddenly tremendously embarrassed, the thought of leaving never even crossing her mind when they had come in. Of course he would want her to leave.

"Oh. Er, sorry, Mr. Stark. I didn't know you were having company. I'll just-."

"No," Tony said. "It's not that. But it's late. Beauty rest, you know?"

Pepper blinked at him.

"I – yes. Yes you're right. I'll just – finish – tomorrow."

Now he smirked. "Willing to work on a Saturday for me Potts? Dedication at its finest."

"It's only because you pay me well, sir," she replied smoothly, unable to hide a grin of her own.

He chuckled and moved to leave, then stopped and turned back. "Ms. Potts, I trust you can help show my guest out. I don't want anyone staying past their welcome."

"Now?" Pepper asked. She couldn't _possibly_ – not now – like his _mother_....

"No, in the morning," Tony said over his shoulder, heading toward the workshop. "She'll need her rest."

Pepper could hear the smirk in his voice, the confident swagger. She gave a dramatic sigh at his innuendo, trying to push away the flood of embarrassment.

Later – much later – when Pepper had gotten used to Tony's behavior, he managed to throw her for a loop, completely disrupting Pepper's routine when it came to his women.

Not only did Tony never talk about his conquests, but he was relatively discrete about it, at least in the mansion. If Pepper was there (and he always seemed to know that she was - Pepper guessed Jarvis was to thank), Tony quickly whisked his woman into the master bedroom, allowing Pepper only a glimpse of shiny hair and a short skirt before the door upstairs slammed shut.

And if Pepper wasn't there – well she preferred not to think about it.

She really should have known that arriving at the mansion at quarter to midnight on a Friday was a terrible idea. Four years of working for him, and she should have known better. But she had left her papers there, papers that needed to be filled out and sent first thing Saturday morning before the post office closed.

Pepper parked in the driveway and hurried up to the front door. The house was dark and she assumed that Tony was still out since it was, after all, fairly early for him. She let herself in and shut the door softly behind her, an odd thing to do in a supposedly empty house.

The lack of Jarvis' greeting was another hint that something was amiss. But Pepper didn't think of it. Unfortunately.

She crept into the house, unsure why she was being so quiet. Her papers were on the kitchen counter and as she passed through the large living space, she heard the softest of groans from the couch.

Pepper froze.

Unable to stop herself, she looked. And saw Tony – and some woman – on the couch – Tony's back to her, very clearly without clothes-

_Oh God_.

Pepper was already so close to the kitchen that she grabbed the papers before turning and hurrying through the living room again. She was almost at the door when-

"Have a good evening, Ms. Potts," Jarvis spoke.

She could _kill_ that damned computer.

And from the area of the couch came his husky, startled voice.

"Pepper?"

"Tony, who was that?"

_Slam_.

In the car Pepper turned the radio on loudly. Trying to clear the image burned into her eyes with the loud music, trying very hard to erase the moan she had heard.

Tony's moan.

_-_

Monday morning arrived and Pepper was feeling marginally better. She had spent a good deal of her weekend logically laying out the events of the weekend, telling herself quite clearly that Tony had it coming to him, with all of his random women. And she plotted carefully the best way to disable the AI.

Pepper went straight to the office, opting to avoid the mansion at all costs for the time being. She was early, before anyone else on her floor, and busied herself with deleting half of the E-mails in Tony's inbox. She eventually became so engrossed in her morning ritual that she didn't hear the door to her office click open.

"Potts."

She was _not _going to look up. Her cheeks matched her hair and she was not going to let Tony see that. She was an adult, after all.

"Good morning Mr. Stark."

A thick silence prevailed. He cleared his throat, and if it weren't for the fact that Pepper was uncomfortable herself, she probably would have laughed at Tony's sudden loss of confidence. But in the same moment Pepper realized she didn't want an apology, or any acknowledgement of the past weekend. No, she wanted normalcy. She wanted things back to the way they were, without mentioning that their routine had been interrupted.

So Pepper looked up, her face schooled into a neutral look. "Did you read those files I sent you?"

"No."

She stood and rolled her eyes, straightening her desk and grabbing a Manila folder from underneath a stack of papers. Pepper walked to Tony and smacked the folder against his chest. He grabbed it and, inadvertently, her hand.

Pepper's stomach jumped.

"Good thing I have an extra copy of them. R&D wants your approval on the new missile prototype. You have a meeting with them at one."

"Pepper."

"Mr. Stark?" She had already made it past him and out the door, calm and collected. She really needed a pot of coffee.

"Forgiven?" he asked, using a tone of voice that came out only rarely. A tone that Pepper found to be her favorite. His dark eyes looked steadily into her own.

She smiled at him, nodding. "Forgotten."

But as Pepper turned to walk away, she knew that she had nothing, really, to forgive. But the sight of him in the dark, her name on his tongue, his dark eyes – yes, there was plenty to forget.

**Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter. Suggestions for moments would be greatly appreciated – the more creative, the better (in other words, yes, I will eventually write a first kiss scene). Happy holidays!**


	3. Spice

**Blatantly stole a line from another movie...if you recognize it, it's not mine! Don't sue me. Thanks for the suggestions for more chapters. Definitely noted! **

**Let's call this one the "first time Pepper ignores Tony on purpose." And "first Christmas." I don't particularly like it, but here it is anyway. **

**--**

Tony was breaking the rules and it made him grin.

He sat in his office, twirling a pen through his fingers, absently staring at the wall across from him. A bookcase, and an ugly piece of wall art. He would have to get rid of that.

But breaking the rules – well, that is what he _lived _for.

He also, as of late, lived for flustering pretty Pepper Potts.

Something about the way the highest part of her cheeks turned pink made him want to embarrass her. Tony had tested and learned the limits of his teasing early; he made sure to never cross that line. He didn't want to risk losing the best thing that had happened to him. An assistant employed for nearly a year – that was a record.

It was lucky, really, that breaking the rules and flustering Pepper Potts happened to coincide this Christmas. Their first Christmas. Tony chuckled at how stupid that sounded. Pepper had come to him nearly a month ago with a long list of things he didn't pay attention to until she mentioned presents.

"What?"

"I said let's agree not to give each other Christmas presents and Mr. Stark were you listening to _anything_ I just said?"

"Nope," Tony said, giving her a half-apologetic smile. "Why no presents? Best part of Christmas and you're stealing it from me."

"Yes, the commercialism of the holiday season really is my favorite," she said wryly. "It's against company policy."

"Commercialism?"

"_Presents_ between an employer and an employee."

"Who the hell made that rule?"

"The board, after you began sending extravagant gifts to all the female secretaries."

"They were tasteful."

"They were bribery," Pepper muttered. "So we agree then?"

Tony considered his assistant for a moment, letting his eyes wander just a little more than usual. No, that wasn't fair, he usually let his eyes wander, but not when Pepper was looking. But now he took a moment to look at her long legs, her prim suit, her mass of red hair. And – yes, there it was – the faint blush at the top of her cheeks.

"Mr. Stark."

"Ms. Potts. Is this a rule, or just...sort of a guideline?"

"Rule," she said adamantly. "It'll look bad."

"It'll look bad if I, say, buy you a car?"

Pepper's eyes widened and she took a step closer, whispering. "A _car_? Mr. Stark, you will do no such thing."

"You're right, I won't."

"Good, then we're agreed." With that she left, leaving Tony smirking. He had, technically, never agreed to anything except not buying her a car. Which he thought would make a rather cliché present anyway.

A week later Tony realized he had absolutely no idea what to get Pepper for Christmas. It was an unfortunate development, since he was set on flustering her with a present. An obnoxious one, if at all possible. Nothing stupid. Classy. But definitely obnoxious.

Tony thought hard about his choices. He didn't have much experience with buying women presents; he had always used his dad for help when it came to his mother's birthday, and other women generally hadn't been around long enough for Tony to get to know. The presents to the secretaries a few years ago on all their birthdays were not, as Pepper suspected, bribes. All the same Tony was glad Pepper hadn't been around then to receive the obscene flower arrangements.

He didn't want anything too personal – no jewelry (though he knew what she liked), no clothing (though he knew what she looked good in). Yet Tony didn't want to give her a bonus, which would have been an easy out, or offer her vacation time, which she wouldn't take anyway. Nothing so informal.

Tony watched as his assistant walked passed his open office door, her red hair pulled away from her face in a tight knot at the base of her neck. He could spot Pepper's hair anywhere. He wondered absently where her nickname had come from.

And then Tony grinned.

It was _perfect. _He spun in his chair, picked up his phone, and started making the right calls.

Two weeks later he sat staring at that ugly wall art. It was seven in the morning; Tony had made a point to get into the office before Pepper, a rate feat for him. Now he sat in wait, his hand tapping his pen incessantly on the desk in his excitement

Pepper came marching into his office not ten minutes later, her face bright, angry red.

"Tony. Stark."

"Pepper. Potts."

"What did you do?"

"Uh," Tony said, leaning back in his chair. "I don't know _what_ you're talking about."

"That...that _stuff_. In my office." Tony thought Pepper came very close to stomping her heeled foot. "What did you do?"

Tony studied her for a moment before grinning. He spread his arms open above his head. "Merry Christmas, _Pepper_."

She turned and stormed from his office.

Later, on his way out, Tony walked past her darkened office and peered inside. Everywhere, in every possible spot in her small yet airy office, were peppers. Hot peppers, pickled peppers, pepper plants, and pepper spices. A bounty of peppers for Pepper. Tony smiled and walked out, whistling a Christmas carol softly.

--

Two days later, Tony partially regretted his choice. Pepper's initial reaction had been priceless. The fury and irritation in her face and, of course, the high blush, was definitely worth it. But now Ms. Potts was ignoring him steadfastly. It was the weekend, so it made her end of the deal easier. Just avoid the mansion. But by Monday – Christmas Eve – Tony was fed up. He had never received a silent treatment from her.

Worse yet, Tony had no idea what to say to her. An apology? Well that was ridiculous, since obviously Pepper's sense of humor wasn't as sharp as her temper. Besides, thought Tony with a frown, it had been a devilishly clever gift.

"Ms. Potts has just arrived at the mansion, Sir," Jarvis said, breaking Tony's staring contest with Dummy.

Tony jumped from his stool and went up the workshop stairs two at a time, skidding to a halt in the living room to find Pepper holding her laptop bag and a present wrapped in shiny red paper.

"Pepper."

She spun on her heel, setting the present down on the couch, brushing her bangs gently from her face. A nervous tic, Tony had realized months ago.

"Mr. Stark."

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked, his voice softening of its own accord. He walked nearer.

"I, well – I need to do some work, first of all-"

"It's Christmas Eve."

"The world hasn't stopped spinning, last I checked." Pepper flashed him a soft smile and Tony suddenly released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. It was ridiculous, really, how nervous and jittery he had been all weekend.

"And," Pepper continued, "like you said, it's Christmas Eve." She picked up the red package and held it out. "Merry Christmas."

Tony gaped. He wasn't sure what had just happened. Women, he thought darkly, were completely incomprehensible. First she had fumed and ignored him, and now Pepper shows up with a Christmas present? Even after-

"But you told me no Christmas presents! You're breaking your own rules, Ms. Potts."

She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "I think we're already past the rule-breaking, Mr. Stark."

"Right," he said. "Right. So did you get me a car?"

"Exactly."

Tony gave her a lopsided grin, then stepped forward to take the package from Pepper's hands. He took the time to untie the bow before tearing into the paper, feeling her eyes on him intently; the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Inside the box was a jar of what appeared to be tomatoes.

Tony gave Pepper a questioning look.

Her grin could have killed. "I made you Jalapeño salsa." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Turns out I had a lot of peppers on my hands, so I made it _extra _spicy."


	4. Worry

**Sorry for the delay! I was traveling in the SE U.S. (Savannah, Charleston – beautiful cities) and didn't get much of a chance to write. Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope I don't let you down with this one; again, I'm not particularly fond of it. Let's call this first worry, although it's also the first time she sees Tony in his suit. Thanks to **Adrena, SongsOfSpring** and **NinjaJen **for the ideas in this chapter.**

**I own nothing!**

Pepper worried in different ways about Tony Stark.

There was the everyday worry, the kind that was more annoying than scary. It happened when Tony was running late, when Pepper had to somehow make the conference continue as planned even though her boss – and the main reason for the conference in the first place – was having a hard time shaking off a hang over. Pepper felt this worry when she had papers that needed signing and Tony was being less than cooperative. She worried when she had a personal appointment to keep but Tony, who was supposed to be somewhere an hour ago, was still tinkering in his workshop.

Pepper called this a nagging worry. It annoyed her because she could ask Tony thousands of times to be on time or to read those files and still there would be no change. All the worry and no result. It was the most pointless sort of stress, Pepper thought.

There was a kind of worry that Pepper liked even less. This one happened when Tony brushed pasta sauce from her lips, or when he made a dirty comment that was just shy of personal. This worry was accompanied by flutters in her stomach, a constriction of her heart and lungs. Pepper worried when things like this happened –when employee and employer got too close – because it wasn't supposed to happen. Tony was not supposed to be flirting in his quiet, sincere voice with Pepper, and Pepper was not supposed to want to lean into his touch or flirt back.

But her least favorite worry was the gut-wrenching, terrifying worry.

Pepper felt it for the first time when Tony went missing for three months.

It was early in the morning when she got the call from Rhodey; Pepper had been sitting in her office for half an hour when her cell phone jumped to life. Expecting it to be Tony on his way back from the airport, she smiled and picked it up without a glance at the caller ID.

Rhodey's words wiped the smile from her face. Pepper hadn't done anything dramatic; she didn't drop her phone with her jaw gaping, she didn't weep uncontrollably, and there was no deflective anger. Instead she had quietly listened to Rhodey, told him sternly to keep in touch, assured him she was okay, and hung up the phone. In that moment, Pepper felt like it was another business call letting her know that Mr. Stark was running late.

It wasn't until later when Pepper glanced up at Tony's dark, empty office that she felt the pang of intense and terrifying worry encase her heart. Pepper's knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of her desk and suddenly a thousand images raced through her mind. Images of Tony hurt, of Tony being tortured, of him never coming home, never coming back to _her_.

Pepper suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She forced herself to breathe evenly and began packing her things up. Almost immediately she thought better of it; what was she possibly going to do if she went home? Doing laundry at a time like this seemed like an asinine coping mechanism.

With a heavy sigh Pepper sat back down, knowing full well the storm of media attention that was about to flood her E-mail and her phone.

As the days went by, Pepper didn't realize that the worry she felt went above and beyond the usual. She knew she missed the idiot-girl-anxiety – _God_ did she miss it_ – _but Pepper didn't realize how heavily Tony's absence was sitting in her chest. Pepper missed him, but she somehow dealt with it. By the end of the first month she began to get into a rhythm of checking news reports from Afghanistan and calling Obadiah and Rhodey to see if they had heard anything. She worked too many hours, slept too little. She cried only once when by mistake she dialed his cell phone number and heard his voice on the answering machine. Pepper carefully tucked away the necklace Tony had given her a few years ago – not out of defeat, but because she wore it only for him to see. And then Pepper received one particularly important late night phone call three months later.

"Pepper."

"Who is this?" she asked groggily, glancing at the clock near her bed. Four in the morning.

"Pepper. It's me. Tony."

This time she almost _did _drop the phone. His voice, smooth and warm but just a little tired, was the best sound she had ever heard. Pepper bit her fist to keep from crying out, screwing her eyes tight against the relief that threatened to make her cry.

"Pepper are you there? I thought, you know, this would be a good phone call? If you'd prefer I can call someone else, like Ron from Finance, or James-"

"_Tony_! " she croaked. "Are you okay? What – where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm not supposed to be calling you."

"What do you mean?"

"Rhodes told me not to call you. Not until morning. I'm alive, Pepper, which is pretty good, considering."

"Considering _what_?"

"Are you in sexy lingerie?"

"Are you kidding? You just got out of captivity and you're asking me what I'm wearing?"

He chuckled through some static. "Are you surprised?"

"No," Pepper said, smiling softly. "Why are you breaking Rhodey's rule?"

The line was silent for a moment, and Pepper wondered if they had been disconnected. Suddenly Tony's voice was back: "Assuring you of your job security. I thought you'd like to know."

Pepper fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I did," she said softly. "Thank you."

"I gotta go. Platypus wants to play."

"Okay. You're really okay?"

"I'm really okay," Tony said. "I'll call you in a few hours, let you know when you have to start making me coffee again."

"Okay," Pepper said, and heard Rhodey's voice and the line disconnect. She put her phone against her chest, gripping it tightly, as if to verify that it wasn't a dream. Pepper closed her eyes and replayed Tony's voice in her head, her worry slipping farther and farther away.

It was then she realized how heavy her heart had been for three months, how thickly the worry and anxiety had been wrapped around her. Pepper rolled over and watched the sun come up; she buried her face into her pillow and let herself grin.

--

"Are those _bullet_ holes?" Pepper asked, staring at her boss – _what_ exactly was he wearing? – being attacked by his robots. Suddenly the time when he was gone, that lead feeling in her chest, returned in a rush, and she gripped the desk next to her to keep herself upright.

Tony kicked Dummy and the robots quickened their dismantling pace, taking apart what appeared to be an armor suit. An armored suit that she had seen him working on for weeks now, but Pepper had thought it was something for Stark Industries, _not_ something Tony was going to strap himself into.

"What are you wearing? And where were you, I've been trying to call you."

The robots finished their business and Tony stepped off the platform, wearing skin-fitting black clothing. Pepper trained her eyes firmly on his face that had a particularly nasty gash under his right eye.

"Oh my God," she breathed, stepping forward and running her fingers on the clotted cut. Tony winced. "Sorry," Pepper said, withdrawing her hand, but Tony caught her wrist. He pulled the underside – the place where Pepper put her perfume on in the morning – to his nose and gently inhaled. Pepper's felt her stomach flip.

His eyes seemed darker than normal and he dropped her hand abruptly. "I picked up a part time job. To supplement my income, you know," Tony said, his voice dry, as he turned back to his desk and removed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls.

"That's not funny," Pepper said. She stayed where she was and watched Tony douse a cotton ball with alcohol. "What where you doing?"

"Killing some bad guys."

"Can you be serious for even just one second?"

He whirled on her suddenly but Pepper managed not to step backwards. "I'm being serious. Deadly. Some of the same men who killed me were massacring a town. And they had my weapons."

The soaked cotton ball dripped loudly onto the concrete floor of the workshop. Pepper broke the staring contest and grabbed the cotton ball from him. "This is too wet," she said, squeezing it so more of the liquid dripping onto the ground. She then stepped forward and began to dab under Tony's eye. He hissed at the contact.

Pepper remained silent. She was at a loss for what to say to him. The idea of her Tony Stark running around playing the role of some superhero was terrifying. She wanted nothing more than to burn that armor garbage he had built, to tell him to never do whatever he was doing again. More than anything, Pepper wanted to make the intense worry she was feeling go away.

She bit her lip in an effort to stem her welling emotions. Pepper was not about to cry in front of him and be forced to admit that she was hysterically upset about him risking life and limb.

"Pepper." His voice was too personal to ignore; Tony had used the tone he reserved for Pepper.

She looked at his eyes, then quickly away. Pepper focused on his cuts which, on closer inspection, were many. On his arms and his neck. His shoulder blade. She ran her hand over the broken skin.

"Pepper," Tony said again, more insistently, but his voice terribly soft.

"You're not supposed to be playing a superhero, Tony."

"I'm not supposed to be allowing my weapons to get into the hands of the wrong people."

Pepper threw the bloodied cotton ball on his desk. "And what if you get killed?"

"I won't."

"But if you do?"

"I _won't_. Are you doubting my engineering brilliance, Ms. Potts?" Tony flashed her a quick grin, but Pepper refused to take the bait. She glared at him. "You have a stellar resume," he continued. "I'm sure you'll be able to find another job."

"You're an idiot," Pepper barked. "And you're missing the point entirely."

"Then enlighten me," Tony replied, his voice with an edge. He took a step closer.

Pepper took a step back, retreating, as she always did, when the waters between them got murky. Which they had frequently done since his return. Pepper shook her head, feeling the weight settle around her shoulders. She turned and walked up the stairs, leaving Tony standing in his workshop, his cuts stinging with alcohol and Pepper's anger.

They wouldn't talk about this again until Tony asked her to break into his office and hack the computer. By then Pepper had vowed to herself not to care so much, to put away all the feelings she ever felt for Tony Stark. He might be all that she had – her only friend, the only person she trusted, the only person she cared for – but Pepper was not about to let it rule her, especially not after that fiasco at the benefit. She was better than that.

But even after steeling herself against the things she felt for Tony Stark, Pepper was never able to sleep until she knew he had made it home alive.

**I'm not able to actually watch the movie to verify my timeline, so sincere apologies if I got something wrong. Let me know what you think!**


	5. Date

**First and foremost, sorry for the delay! I had to return to the real world (no more winter break) and it inevitably means I have less time. Tuesday marks the start of the spring semester, so I pledge to do at least a weekly update. Thanks to **NinjaJen** for this idea. Also, **A.S.112** pointed out that Tony would most likely not get scratches under the suit – very true. Bruises would have been more realistic. Consider it a literary liberty.**

**I'm not sure how far this will go; eventually I'll feel I've written everything that I can without going into territory I'm not interested in. That being said, more **_**personal**_** Pepperony is coming, but I enjoy making them suffer so much. **

**Without further ado: first "date." Only Pepper doesn't know...**

**No infringement intended, since I own nothing.**

**--**

"So."

Pepper, too entranced in the error in an accounting spreadsheet, didn't look up at her boss hovering somewhere nearby. Instead she scrolled the sheet, looking for the damn number that had been entered incorrectly.

"_So_."

Pepper glanced up at Tony from under her bangs. He wore his usual jeans and a white tank, his arms marred with grease and God knows what else. His arc reactor glowed gently through the shirt fabric.

"Did you need something?"

"No."

"Okay."

A pause, and then: "Are you going to the fundraiser tonight?"

Pepper looked up properly this time and arched an eyebrow in surprise. "You remembered?"

"Only because you put my suit on my bed."

Pepper smiled and shut her laptop, taking a moment to stretch her arms above her. She found Tony staring at her, his eyes darker than normal. She dropped her arms quickly and looked away.

"I'm not going."

"You should."

"Why?" Pepper asked suspiciously.

"Because you haven't taken a night off in ages. Because I know you have dresses stashed in your closet that you never wear."

Pepper blinked. "How did you know that?"

Tony smiled a wicked smile. "I didn't."

"Ugh," Pepper said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not going. Staying in sounds much nicer. I have...laundry to do."

"Is that a euphemism?"

"For?"

Tony grinned again and sat down on the couch next to her. "Never mind. But really. You should go."

Pepper shook her head softly and stared at the ceiling, her head resting on the back of the couch. She could feel Tony next to her, breathing, moving slightly so the couch moved with him. It was funny how in-tune she was to his movements. Ridiculous, almost, how much she paid attention to his presence when they happened to be near each other. Like now. One leg resting on his other, his arms smooth and masculine from the corner of her eye.

She turned her head to look at him and found that this posture mimicked her own: head on the back of the couch, turned so that Tony could see her. His face was honest and relaxed. No cunning smile, no glint to the eye. Pepper wondered if her face looked this open when she looked at him.

He was right; she cringed just thinking about the last time she had a Friday night out. After the benefit and after Afghanistan, Stark Industry functions had become dangerous territory. Pepper usually chose to stay home, even though, as Tony had guessed, she had a plethora of dresses to wear. She didn't wear them because she would have to wonder what Tony would think of her. She would have to admit to herself that she had bought them all with him in mind.

"Come on," Tony said, not having looked away from her. His gaze was intense – open but intense – and Pepper looked away.

She sighed and, in a moment she would later regret, said, "Fine, I'll go."

--

She sat with Tony in his limo as Happy maneuvered the freeway system. Tony, for whatever reason, had _insisted_ that he pick her up. He had also called her while she had been dressing and had asked what color her dress was. Pepper, standing in her underwear a bit nervous to be getting so dressed up, had answered honestly to deflect any more probing questions, then promptly hung up.

Now they sat in the back of the car. Pepper wore green; it wasn't anything terribly sexy, but it fit her well. A modestly plunging neckline and a little more strappy than Pepper liked. The back was low and open and the material flowed from her hips becomingly. She left her hair down – and _not_ because Tony liked it that way. Not at all.

Pepper had noticed immediately that Tony wore a tuxedo with a handkerchief that matched her dress impeccably. Which was odd. They had never done this before, let alone gone to an event in the same car before. Pepper was trying very hard not to be suspicious.

"Did I mention you look great?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Yes, about fifty times. Thank you, Mr. Stark."

Tony leaned into her, his eyes now harboring a dangerous glint. He reached out a hand and brushed her hair from her neck. She heard him inhale and Pepper froze as the back of his hand encountered her skin.

"You smell good, too," Tony whispered, his face close to hers. "It's not your usual perfume?"

"I – uh – no, it's not," Pepper mumbled, silently chastising herself for wearing the same damned perfume she wore to that damned benefit all those months ago.

"It's nice," he said again, exhaling on her skin. Pepper suppressed a shiver.

"This was a bad idea," she whispered, closing her eyes as his fingers ran down her neck.

"Think so?"

Pepper swallowed hard and got a hold of herself. Soon they would be in a brightly lit room with hundreds of people and she could lose Tony for the rest of the night. She _had_ to lose Tony. She moved herself gently away from him and Tony luckily dropped his hand.

"Yes, a horrible idea. I look like an idiot, all dressed up, and you look so good. And – well we're matching, which is annoying, because only – only _couples_ match at events like this-"

"We're here, Sir," Happy interrupted.

"And we're most definitely not that. And I really shouldn't even be here-"

"Well if you weren't here, who would be my date?" Tony asked, opening his door and slamming it shut as Pepper stared at the empty air with her mouth open.

"_Date_?"

"Yes," Tony said, who held her door open. She stared at him dumbly. "Are you coming?"

"_Not_ as your date!" Pepper hissed, stepping out of the car. Tony grabbed her hand as she climbed out and held on tightly, wrapping her arm under his so she couldn't escape.

"Let me _go_ Tony Stark, or I swear to God I'll-"

"You should smile," Tony replied calmly, grinning as flashbulbs went off. Pepper stared at him, her fury and irritation mounting.

"You _tricked_ me into coming here as your date!"

"Technicalities," Tony replied, walking them up the stairs into the hall. "You're here, you should have a good time."

"Except we'll be plastered on tabloids tomorrow morning with rumors of an affair and I'll be the one to have to deal with it."

"Say I seduced you."

"Mr. Stark, that is definitely not the right approach," Pepper snapped as he held a door open for her, releasing her from his grip. She seriously considered running back to the limo, but Happy was probably long gone by now and Pepper was fairly certain she would somehow manage to trip in her heels while making a breakaway.

Tony placed his hand on the small of her very exposed back and Pepper felt her head swirl. Not only was the hall dimly lit in someone's idiotic attempt to be romantic, but she and Tony were immediately noticed. Matching. Touching. Pepper felt dizzy.

"Tony!"

"Jim, old man," Tony said, extending his hand to an older man who had approached them. "Good to see you."

_Jim Redford_, Pepper catalogued in her mind_, professor from MIT, now helps Tony once in a while in mechanics_. _I wonder if Tony will notice if I sneak off-_

"And who is this?"

"Pepper Potts," Pepper said, extending her hand for a shake. He gripped it lightly, then winked at Tony. Pepper, feeling rebellious, added, "I'm Mr. Stark's personal assistant."

Redford waggled his eyebrows at Tony and Pepper was fairly certain that her clarification had come off in all the wrong ways.

"Personal assistant, mm? You know, Tony, I met my wife at work – secretary of mine, way back when."

"I need a drink," Pepper said loudly, spinning on her heel and making a beeline for the bar. She thought, briefly, that maybe Tony had stayed back, but when she perched herself on the bar and ordered a martini, Tony's hand was on the small of her back again.

"Where are you running to, Ms. Potts?" His voice was rich and dark and Pepper wondered if that's what he sounded like when he whispered things in bed.

She turned sharply to look at him, relieved that his hand fell away. No more touching. It was driving her crazy. And instead of just telling him this – telling him that she was mad _not _because they were on a date, but because she was in love with her boss and he seemed to be mocking that fact, albeit unknowingly – Pepper glared.

"You're using me."

"Your dress looks amazing."

"And I'm not sure why, really," Pepper mused, feeling herself spiral slightly out of control, taking her drink thankfully from the barman. "Because you could have any woman in this room."

"I'm still looking for a girlfriend. Every superhero needs one, you know."

"Further, I may have picked out this dress knowing you'd like it, but that doesn't mean you get to keep your paws all over me. This is a professional setting, despite the alcohol."

Tony grinned. "You bought a dress because you thought I'd like it?"

_Shit_.

"No."

"You just said-"

"Good night, Tony," Pepper said, because her skin was on fire and her tongue wasn't in control. Because her dress was too exposed and Tony's eyes were too deep. The burn of his hand was imprinted on her back, the feel of his fingers on her neck. They were a date, a couple for this function, and Pepper couldn't live with how badly she wished it were actually true.

Pepper moved to leave but Tony caught her wrist and held her in place. He took two steps closer and looked her hard in the eyes. Pepper wanted to run.

Then she felt Tony's lips on her cheek and she knew things were forever altered. A rip in the fabric of time. Or something. She shut her eyes against the sensation of his warm mouth on her skin.

"I'm sorry, Pepper," he whispered, his lips touching the sensitive skin of her ear.

Pepper squeezed his hand, feeling her chest tighten. She gave him what she hoped was a forgiving smile and left, pushing her way through the crowd. Pepper never turned around to look back – if she had, she would've seen Tony's eyes following her until she stepped out the door.

**So. A little angrier than I expected when I started writing. I'm basing this on Pepper's reaction in the movie to dancing and to the moment when she babbled on the roof. She's not a public person. Thank you for the reviews!**


	6. Accusations

**A few comments before we begin this very overdue chapter. I personally think (as far as my movieverse knowledge goes, at least) that Pepper's had her nickname for longer, and that Tony did not give it to her. Also, I played with structure in this chapter, but I based it off a great Harry Potter story called **Up All Night** by **Gilpin and Mrs. Tater**.**

**Thanks to **newworldwriter1** for the idea for this first: accusations of being in love. Sort of. I apologize for it being so dialogue-heavy. Huge thanks to **Captain-Emily **for catching my typos.**

**No infringement intended. I own nothing. **

-

"You're being ridiculous. Why are we talking about this?"

Pepper swirled a spoon in her coffee absently, one hand propping up her chin, her phone tucked between shoulder and ear. Her best friend's voice traveled through the phone wire, sounding older than the last time Pepper saw her.

Annie dropped something and swore softly over the line. "Because it's undeniable."

"There's _nothing _to it. He's my boss, and that's it."

"So that's why he took you on a date?"

"It _wasn't_-"

"And gives you smoldering looks?"

"What?"

"Definitely. I can tell."

Pepper rolled her eyes and set the spoon down. "Tony Stark is not in love with me."

-

It had been the first time anyone had every mentioned the word 'love' and 'Tony Stark' in the same sentence to her. Or rather, the first time it didn't involve machines or fast cars. More to the point, Pepper thought, the accusation was that Tony Stark loved _her, _Pepper Potts.

Ridiculous.

Pepper repeated the idiocy of the idea to herself as she walked into the mansion, running a little later than normal (and not because she had taken an extra five minutes to figure out which color shirt Tony would like best, and she definitely had not settled on a deep red).

She tried to kick the front door closed with her heel, but leaned a little too far and sent her stack of papers cascading to the ground. Pepper swore, shut the door, and bent over to pick everything back up and resume some semblance of order.

When she turned, she found Tony staring at her. And not with just any stare, Pepper thought with a slight twinge of horror. His stare was smoldering. Dark, eyes black, and smoldering.

She nearly dropped the entire stack of papers again.

"Morning," she said, her voice wavering. Pepper looked away from Tony and stalked past him into the living room, setting her stack of papers down and making herself comfortable on the couch.

"Potts, you need a life. Workaholic."

Pepper gave Tony a glare over her shoulder. "I have a domineering boss who can't even hold a pen most days."

"Hey, hey – not fair," Tony said, plopping on the couch opposite her. Pepper gritted her teeth; her work would progress much faster if he wasn't hovering. It's not that Tony was generally distracting. Instead, Pepper realized she was examining everything he did for some outward signs of – _what, exactly_? she wondered. _Undying love?_ Pepper suppressed an eye roll.

"It's very fair, Mr. Stark. I left these papers on your desk yesterday morning. And yesterday, I take it, was not a pen-holding day."

"I might have held a pen yesterday. Once."

"Mmhmm," Pepper replied, pulling papers toward her to begin sifting through what needed Tony's attention. She found the group and handed them to him.

"Rhodey's here."

"Where?" Pepper asked, surprised, but not looking up from the front page of the morning newspaper she was unfurling.

"Kitchen. Phone call. Apologizing to some woman."

"Apologizing?" Pepper asked, raising her eyebrows and turning a page. "Girlfriend?"

"Doubtful."

"I heard that!" came the call from the kitchen, and then Rhodey's voice returned to a softer phone volume.

"He won't take my advice," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest. Pepper glanced at him, pushing him to continue. "He should just skip the wooing step, in my opinion."

"And go straight to the bed, Mr. Stark?"

A pause. "Again. Not fair."

Pepper looked at him again and gave a lopsided smile, agreeing that her remark was late; Tony hadn't been with a woman since his return from Afghanistan. Not that Pepper was watching.

"No, see, Rhodes needs to skip wooing. No wooing. Be woo-less. It's my new motto."

"How's that working out for you?"

Tony stared hard at Pepper, and she, for whatever possessed reason, returned his gaze levelly.

"Shitty," he muttered, looking away. "Every superhero needs a girlfriend."

"Girlfriends don't fall out of the sky, Mr. Stark." Pepper had returned to her paper, flipping to the business section. Tony was blissfully quiet for a minute, and then Pepper felt the couch shift abruptly only for Tony to settle directly next to her.

"Pepper do you have a boyfriend?"

Pepper blinked but did not miss a beat. "No." Her face flamed and she brushed her bangs to her side.

Tony grinned. "Ex-boyfriends?"

"Three."

"Exactly?"

"Yes."

Pepper scanned the stock figures, looking for both SI and for their suppliers' stock values. Her eyes immediately stopped scanning when she felt Tony tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering. _Tony Stark is in love with you_, Annie's voice said. Pepper glared at the print in front of her.

"_And_?" he pressed.

Pepper folded the newspaper calmly, then used it to whack Tony's arm away from her ear, where his fingers were still touching her hair.

"Number one," Pepper said with a warning glance, glad she had learned long ago how to feign irritation when Tony made her nervous. She took a shallow breath and tried to calm her erratically beating heart. "Number one was my high school boyfriend. He ended it after six months."

"Were you heartbroken?"

"Mortally," Pepper said dryly. "Second was a college friend-turned-boyfriend. I broke up with him – turns out he was really into my roommate."

"Loser."

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him but didn't comment. She went on: "The third and final ex-boyfriend had a tattoo and rode a motorcycle."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe me."

"You dated a bad boy?"

"He was a jerk who thought he was very, very cool."

"Not all people who are cool are assholes, you know," Tony said.

"He liked his motorcycle more than me, really."

"Maybe he was just nervous around you."

"And," Pepper went on, barely processing Tony's voice, "he was a womanizer."

"Guys can change."

Pepper looked at him hard and replayed the past few seconds of conversation in her head. "Who are we talking about?"

Tony reached out and picked the necklace from her neck, holding it up and examining it closely. Pepper's breath hitched. She stared at Tony's furrowed eyebrows and his lips.

"Tony," Pepper said, her voice being treacherously breathless. "What are you doing?"

-

Tony wondered if thinking about his assistant having sex with her ex-boyfriends was inappropriate.

"He was a jerk who thought he was very, very cool."

Tony licked his lips and shook the images out of his head. They were purportedly having a serious conversation, after all.

"Not all people who are cool are assholes, you know," Tony finally said and waited for her reaction.

"He liked his motorcycle more than me, really."

"Maybe he was just nervous around you." _With all that hair and all those legs, who the hell wouldn't be nervous_, Tony thought darkly.

"And he was a womanizer."

"Guys can change." All Tony could think about was what it would be like to kiss her.

Pepper looked up at him sharply. "Who are we talking about?"

Tony sincerely hoped than Rhodey wasn't planning on coming out of the kitchen any time soon. He had screwed up hugely at the charity event; tricking Pepper Potts was not, in hindsight, a clever idea. But there had been a moment, Tony thought. And he wanted it back.

He reached out and picked up the necklace that lay on her collarbone, examining the silver circle with a turtle cut out in the middle. Tony felt Pepper's breath catch and he let his hand rest against her collar.

"Tony, what are you doing?"

He looked up at her seriously, watching her eyes flicker nervously, a faint pink glazing the highest part of her cheeks. Tony smiled softly. He smiled because her freckles were so soft he could only see them from up close. He smiled because her eyes were wide and slightly terrified. And Tony grinned because he was determined.

"Wooing you."

Tony leant in, saw Pepper's eyes flutter softly closed-

"Stark you're a – oh."

Tony's gut wrenched as Pepper jumped away, like she'd been electrocuted, and brushed her bangs from her face. She fidgeted with the newspaper before reading it. Upside down. Tony swung his head to glare at Rhodey, who stood awkwardly in the kitchen doorway, holding his cell phone.

"Can we help you and your impeccable timing?" Tony asked, smiling falsely.

"I need some coffee," Pepper said, and disappeared into the kitchen.

When Pepper was gone, Rhodey took three giant steps forward and whispered, "Dude!"

"Okay. First of all, this isn't high school. Don't 'dude' me. Uncool. Second, I'm about to kill you. Or have Dummy disembowel you."

"What – what was _that_? When did all this happen?"

"I'm going to the shop," Tony said, standing up, and, on second thought, grabbing the stack of papers he was supposed to sign. "Don't follow me."

-

"Pepper Potts is not in love with me," Tony said dismissively, spinning a hologram of his suit around on the console. It was some hours later, long after Pepper had squeaked out of the mansion. Rhodey sat on a chair on the opposite side of the bench.

"I can tell, man. Definitely."

"Like hell."

"Why does she say your name like that?"

"She _doesn't_-"

"And why'd she go with you on a date?"

"She's my assistant, and that's it. There's nothing to it."

"It's undeniable, Stark."

"Platypus you're being a prick." Tony turned off the hologram, stared at the ceiling, and sighed. "Why the hell are we talking about this?"

-

**Ack. Dialogue. Sorry. Reviews make this over-worked college student happy.**


	7. Sauce on the Mind

**I'm afraid I've digressed from the strict 'first' concept. This chapter is a bit of a stretch – first time Pepper tells Tony not to treat her like an object, or maybe the first time Pepper goes on a date with someone else, or most likely just the first time Tony comes to his senses. And it's a little short, unfortunately.**

**I'm so amazed by the overwhelming reviews this story has gotten – thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a note!**

**I own nothing. **

-

Tony was attracted to Pepper the first time he saw her. And not just in a physical sense – though it was mostly a physical sense – because Pepper was kind and gentle, which contrasted deliciously with the heels she wore on an everyday basis. She had a soft smile, but her pencil skirts and dress pants made Tony wonder if she had soft skin to match. She was a puzzle, a dichotomy. A classic, graceful car with a V8 engine.

And Tony learned quickly that unlike the women whom he usually went after, Pepper wasn't about to fall to his charms. Two weeks into her employment she had entered his office with coffee and a powdery donut, as well as a large binder of drafts and plans from engineering.

"Good morning," Pepper said, putting down his breakfast in front of him, then moving behind him to lay the binder on the other side of his computer. "Engineering wants your opinion on these by tomorrow, sir."

"Aren't I the boss here?"

"Apparently not," Pepper said easily, picking up a stack of press releases that Tony had looked over yesterday.

Tony bit into the donut and watched his new assistant flip through the papers with nimble fingers, her tongue darting out to lick her top lip. He grinned.

"Ms. Potts, I don't think I've ever had a prettier assistant."

Pepper arched an eyebrow at him, then returned to her papers. "You have powdered sugar all over your mouth. Sir."

"Is that a come on?"

"You didn't sign this one," she said, handing over a paper absently. Tony stood up – he enjoyed the challenge of Pepper Potts, and he was determined to enact the "personal" part of her title. He moved into her space and put one hand on both of her elbows, effectively closing all distance between them.

"What-"

"Have I told you how infuriatingly coy you are?"

"Have I told you there's donut all over your face?"

"Wanna taste?" Tony, daringly, moved one hand to her waist.

Pepper narrowed her eyes dangerously, forcefully grabbing the hand that was on her waist and shoved it back to his side.

"Mr. Stark, I'm not here for the dating scene. If you'd like your life to continue running in some semblance of order, I'd advise you not to make me file for harassment."

With that, she flashed him a tight smile and she exited, leaving Tony feeling like an enormous failure. The same tricks had worked on his previous assistants; it had been easy to convince them that part of being an assistant was assisting in bed. But as Tony stood frowning at the door, he realized Ms. Potts was not the same. Not the same at all.

He learned, after that, how to keep his distance. Tony tested the boundaries, stepped over them too often, but usually he managed to make Pepper blush and scowl, or, later, as the years went on, she would retort in a teasing way, or laugh at his mischievous attempts at seducing her. He learned that Pepper disliked anything vulgar – no mentions of anatomy would ever make her laugh. She wasn't particularly fond of direct attention, either; Tony realized that direct and overly flattering compliments made Pepper blush furiously and change the subject.

When Tony finally figured out what Pepper liked best, it was nearly too late.

They were standing in the front entrance having just finished a rather silent working dinner together. Tony, feeling exhausted after a week of travel and a non-stop schedule, rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Pepper put her rain jacket on.

"Isn't it early?" he asked absently.

"I'm not a slave, Mr. Stark," Pepper said, laughing. "I deserve to have early nights once in a while."

"Asleep by eight, Granny Potts?"

"I'm offended," she replied. "As a matter of fact I have a date."

Tony felt his jaw clench. "You're going on a date? Without me?"

Pepper smothered a grin. "Yes, I thought bringing my boss with me would put a damper on things."

Tony immediately wished that he _could_ put a damper on things – to think of his Pepper, with someone else, her smile directed at someone's lame jokes....

"Since when am I a damper? I'm very lively."

"I'm sure."

"How come I don't get date nights with Pepper?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "I didn't know you had any interest wining and dining your PA."

"I'm pretty sure I ask you to dinner every other day."

"Ah, right," Pepper said, smiling at him. "How could I have mistaken those heartfelt attempts for half-hearted ones?"

Suddenly, Tony wasn't sure when they had stopped being half-hearted. Had they? He frowned. Apparently.

"Well," Tony said, stepping closer and erasing the space between them. His voice dropped in volume. "How's this for heartfelt? I _hate_ that you're going on a date with someone else."

Pepper's mouth opened slightly as she gazed back at him, and then looked down demurely with the most gentle of smiles on her face.

"Tony," she said softly, touching his arm. Abruptly, Tony realized that this was what Pepper liked– his sincere confessions, completely devoid of jest and joke, said with a soft, serious tone and a blaze in his eyes made Pepper smile secretly for him.

Tony swallowed and stepped back, flashing her a quick, lop-sided smile. "Have a good night, Ms. Potts."

Pepper let out a breath, looked as if she were about to say something, then smiled instead. "Good night." She stepped out into the rain, the front door swinging shut behind her.

Tony stared at the door, a crease between his brows, and wondered why he felt as if he had been betrayed.

-

"So?"

Pepper continued clicking on her keyboard. "So?"

"How was it?" Tony asked, feigning a casualness he did not feel, leaning against the doorjamb to her makeshift office.

"His lobster was good."

Tony swallowed too much of his coffee and had to take a moment to compose himself. "Sorry?"

"The lobster he made was delicious."

"He made lobster?"

"Yes."

"And it was edible."

"Definitely."

Tony frowned – her date made her a lobster, and all Tony ever made for her was a mess and a waste of time. He wondered briefly if his lobster had been enough to get Pepper to the guy's bed. Tony wanted to ask a multitude of inappropriate questions, but he instead said the first thing that came to his mind: "I didn't know you liked crustacean."

She gave him a look before returning to her laptop. "I do."

"So your date made good...crustacean."

"To die for."

"That's good."

"I haven't gotten any in a while."

Tony, still lost in his angry day dreaming, started. "Gotten any what?"

"Lobster."

"Right."

"The sex was good, too."

"The _what_."

"Sauce. With the lobster."

Tony stuck a finger in his ear and turned vigorously. It was impossible to conceive that Pepper was playing mind games with him – especially not-so-innocent ones – and Tony was convinced that he had spent too much time near the hot rod's exhaust.

"It's important to have good sauce," Tony finally replied to Pepper's questioning gaze.

"Vital," she agreed, and returned once more to her work. "Do you need anything?"

Tony stared at the long curve of her back, the lean line of her neck, and the feet tucked primly into very tall heels.

"Sauce," he said, sighing.

-

**Pretty sure midterms have cracked my mind...**


	8. I Wish I Could Hate You

**Because I'm so thankful to the reviewers (100+ reviews is a first for me!) and because I've made you stick around long enough, here's the chapter we've been waiting for.**

**I own nothing.**

**-**

To Tony's complete horror, Pepper's dates with Lobster man became frequent. She never said anything and there was no outward change in her demeanor – none of that silly 'bounce-in-her-step,' no giggling, no day-dreaming. She never left the mansion earlier again. But Tony could always tell when she had had a date the night before – she looked too damn sexy the next morning.

Which to Tony meant that she was sleeping with the Lobster.

And he was pissed.

It was irrational, because he had no reason to be pissed. But his chest constantly felt tight at the sight of Pepper, and whenever she left at night he stared angrily at the walls of his workshop, snapping at Jarvis and feeling pent up. Pepper, to her credit, never mentioned the mysterious Lobster again, and Tony never asked.

Over the course of two weeks, during which the crustacean hung heavily and silently between them, things began to change.

It started with Tony's misguided attempts at luring Pepper into being his date at the benefit. Tony, in hindsight, was well aware of how stupid it'd been; of course Pepper had recoiled. Not only was it way too public for Pepper to enjoy – if she could enjoy the idea of dating him at all, Tony wondered grimly – but she was clearly seeing someone else. And Tony had known it.

"_This was a bad idea."_

Tony had agreed silently. Beyond matching colors and a communal ride to the benefit in his limo, Tony had had no plan of action. And that inevitably meant it was a bad idea. Pepper didn't bring up the Lobster at all that night, and neither did Tony. He had wondered insatiably if he was sitting jealously somewhere, and what Pepper had told him – "it's a work function, that's all" – and what she would tell him if Tony could just manage to get a taste the nervous sweat on her neck.

But none of that happened.

"_I'm sorry_."

She had smiled at him and left. Tony, for the first time in nearly a year, had too much to drink, but went home alone.

And then came the whole damn incident on the couch. Tony's failed attempts to rectify the situation. He hadn't at first planned on wooing her. Not at all. He had, instead, hoped to find out if Lobster was still her lover. So he had naturally asked about ex-boyfriends, and had been irritated to find out that Lobster was not on the list.

Which meant Pepper had returned home after the charity event, dressed in an evening gown that made her float across floors, and had slipped into bed with a crustacean. In the middle of the conversation on ex-boyfriends, Tony found he suddenly didn't care. He wanted Pepper Potts.

But that had failed, too, and Tony had to endure the most painful of conversations with Rhodey about whether or not Pepper was in love with him. Tony had objected, mostly because he was in a sour mood and because Pepper had never let on that she loved him. All she had, sure, Tony could agree to that. But love? A little much, he thought. Besides, Tony had realized with a growing sense of anger, where was the logic of love in sleeping with Lobster man?

He was glad that Rhodey didn't ask if Tony himself was in love with Pepper.

Gradually Tony's anger got the better of him. He told himself that Pepper deserved happiness, even in the form of some anonymous man that Tony hated unconditionally. Tony almost convinced himself that it was the right thing to do – to sit back and let Pepper enjoy her life, rather than dominate it, as usual. When Pepper would ask him to sit in on meetings, he agreed without much sarcasm. When she asked him to look over his schedule for the next month, Tony nodded and snatched the papers from her, never giving her a second glance.

And so it went on, for a few weeks at least. Tony, silently working on machines, sitting in the workshop and Pepper carrying on with her new boyfriend. Tony didn't go out of his way to make things awkward – he wasn't a woman, after all. But he unconsciously was giving Pepper a silent treatment, and unbeknownst to him, Pepper was far from pleased.

Later, when she would ask why he had done it, Tony had answered truthfully: he was in love with her.

But in the meantime the miniature standoff continued, until Pepper got tired of it. She had come down to the workshop with lunch for Tony, as well as a few briefings about the upcoming week. As Tony busied himself with looking intently at the designs on the screen in front of him, Pepper positioned herself on a stool next to him and began going through the agenda.

"Mr. Stark, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes."

Pepper was silent next to him and Tony didn't bother to turn to her. He took a bite of a pickle. "Jarvis, enlarge the upper piston." The screen in front of him zoomed to the desired spot and Tony cocked his head, wondering where the hydraulics had gone wrong.

"Tony."

"Hmm?" He turned the image on the screen around to a different angle.

"Tony."

"Yeah?"

"Look at me!"

Pepper's voice had an edge to it and it cracked almost imperceptibly. Tony put his food down and, for the first time in a week, looked her full in the face. A heavy silence hung between them and Pepper's cheeks were red – but whether from embarrassment or anger, Tony couldn't tell. Her eyes looked sad and Tony suddenly felt a terrible pang of guilt.

_Except for the part where she decided to see someone else. _

He stood up abruptly and walked toward the workbench, a hand running through his messy hair.

"You're ignoring me," Pepper said softly.

"I'm not-" Tony started, and then caught himself. No sense in lying. He sighed. "Okay. Maybe."

"Why?" She hadn't moved from her stool, her brows creased together.

He stared at her for a moment, wondering how to explain his fits of jealousy, his anger, his desire to throw things at the wall. How was he supposed to make it clear to her that he _wanted_ her without scaring her away? After all of Pepper's attempts to define them strictly as boss and employee, she had a point – they worked well together, and Tony would be damned if he altered that.

"You really don't know?" he asked instead.

"Know? Know what, Tony?" Pepper said, her hands flying into the air exasperatedly. "All I know is that you've been agreeable and quiet and..._ignoring_ me for two weeks. Is it-" and here Pepper stumbled slightly, reaching up to brush her bangs from her face – her nervous tic. "Is it because of what happened last weekend? On...on the couch, with Rhodey, and-"

"No," Tony said and turned away again.

"Then what-"

"Are you sleeping with that Lobster guy?"

Pepper's eyes narrowed and Tony knew he had gone too far, overstepped a certain boundary. In the back of his mind he thought that whatever happened next was not going to go well.

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Are you?"

"You're being a...an asshole," she whispered, her voice cutting the air, and she stood sharply from the stool. Tony flinched inwardly; Pepper rarely swore. "Unless you need anything, I'm going home."

As she was making her way toward the stairs, Tony took two giant steps toward her, gripped her wrist, and spun her around before she could make it through the glass door.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "I need something else. I need to know why this other guy is so much better than me."

"Let go of my wrist, Tony."

"I'm being an asshole," Tony said, grabbing her other wrist to keep her from wriggling, aware that the pressure of his hands on her arms was probably too tight. "I'm being an asshole because I don't get it."

"Don't get what," she snapped, trying to take a step back, but Tony moved with her.

"I don't get why I'm so angry. And feel like I could dismantle all the bots and still not feel satisfied. I don't get why every time I look at you, all I can see is another man's hands on you-"

"_Tony_."

"-and your mouth on his. I don't get it, Pepper," Tony finished, but not letting go of her wrists.

"You're hurting me," Pepper said, but in a way that made Tony take another step closer, pushing them nearer the glass wall.

"Dammit, Pepper." Tony let his forehead fall against hers. Her eyes softly shut, her breath hitched.

"You're an idiot," Pepper breathed.

Tony tightened his grip on her wrists and pushed them against the glass partition, Pepper's back making a soft thud.

"I wish I could hate you."

"Tony," Pepper said, her breath soft on his jaw. "There's no one else. There never has been."

He looked at her sharply, saw the fright and desire mix in her eyes, and it was all Tony needed; his mouth met hers violently, his hands moving her wrists up to her sides, pinning her to the glass. She replied to his kiss without hesitation, her lips moving with his angrily, aggressively, and when Tony bit her top lip and she gasped, he took the opportunity to deepen their kiss. She moaned and Tony pressed against her.

He didn't care that their working relationship was forever changed, or that they were kissing in the passion of intense anger. He didn't care that he had _no_ idea what would happen next. All Tony cared about, as his hands left her wrists and moved to her waist, was that his Pepper Potts was kissing _him_.

When they broke apart, Tony kept them close together. He bent his head to nuzzle under her ear, and she laughed gently, running her freed hands up and down his sides.

"You taste good," he mumbled into her skin.

"You taste like a pickle," she replied.

Tony lifted his head and looked her in the eyes, frowning. "You really weren't seeing anyone all this time?"

"No," Pepper said, her lips red and her cheeks warm. "What made you think so?"

"You were emphatic about his lobster."

"Maybe. But he fell short everywhere else."

Tony pushed her bangs from her forehead gently. "You mean he wasn't a superhero? With an arc reactor in his chest?"

"Something like that."

He pulled her wrists from his sides and looked at them; there were horrid red marks where his fingers had pressed too hard. Tony swore softly. "Sorry," he whispered, rubbing a thumb across both.

"It's okay," Pepper replied.

Tony took a moment to revel in the woman standing in front of him; her face flushed, her eyes shy and the faintest of smiles on her lips.

"You uh – hmm," Tony fumbled, at a loss for what to say. "Should we talk? Or whatever. About this?"

Pepper let her head fall back against the glass as she studied him for a minute, her face relaxed and the ghost of a smile still there. Tony wondered, on a scale from one to humiliating, how bad this conversation was going to be. _What the hell do I say? _Tony thought frantically as Pepper's smile slowly faded and she looked down again. _Sorry for assaulting you in a jealous rage, it'll never happen again?_

"Later," she finally said.

Tony, his mind going too fast, blinked. "What?"

"Later," Pepper said, grabbing the front of his T-shirt and tugging him closer. "We'll talk about it later."

Pepper's eyes twinkled, and Tony grinned. He allowed her to pull him forward, and when they kissed this time it was slower and gentler. Tony thought he could spend days learning the feel of Pepper's lips on his, or the weight of her small hands around his neck. And silently in the back of his head as he wrapped his arms tighter around Pepper's waist, Tony thanked the imaginary lobster man.

-

**Perhaps a different take? Dunno. I don't really like the scenario where they kiss and Pepper runs away, or they have a serious talk right afterwards. They're best friends with a long history, first and foremost, who happen to finally get their acts together. Serious talk will come later.... Let me know what you think!**

**(PS – sorry about the jibe about women (I am one), but chicks just tend to go out of their way to give people the silent treatment. Annoying!)**


	9. Push

**You didn't think I'd let them off easy, did you? First break up. Sorry for abusing Jarvis, but he's just so convenient. And I'm not entirely sure that you can use a nail gun as a long-distance weapon. Let's just say that if you're Tony Stark, you can. **

**I own nothing.**

-

The first time they break up, Pepper is left sitting in her car in the rain, staring blankly at her apartment's garage door, thinking _now what?_

She doesn't register the pain or anger until hours later. Then she's in her bathroom, gazing past her reflection in the mirror, covering her cheeks with a lotion. The normalcy of it – as if Tony hadn't just ripped her heart out – jerked her away, and she turned and threw the little glass jar into the bathtub, hoping it would shatter.

Turns out it was plastic, and the dull thuds it made against the tub made Pepper's eyes sting.

The worst part was that she hadn't seen it coming, and that when it had, it couldn't have come at a worse time. The week before had been more hectic than usual – the board member's on her ass, the paparazzi following her closely (she was still the hottest tabloid fodder, even a month after Pepper and Tony's relationship became unfortunately public), and accounting losing track of a few million dollar checks.

When Pepper had heard that last bit of news, she nearly quit.

Naturally, between the board chair breathing on her neck and the camera bulbs blinding her every time she arrived at Stark Industries, Pepper had hardly noticed Tony slowly receding. She didn't notice that his kisses became more hesitant, that his eyes looked dark and troubled whenever she was around. Whenever she looked at him, she saw only the images of her overflowing inbox and the spreadsheets in red.

_Maybe I pushed him away_, Pepper thought hours later, curled up in bed but wide awake. The thought itself was ridiculous; this was hardly the first time she had been busy, and they were both accustomed to schedules that never quite meshed, between his duties as Iron Man and hers as the one more or less running Stark Industries. Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, willing herself not to think about how acutely she missed his presence in the bed.

Pepper stayed away all weekend – she thought that maybe later she would thank Tony for killing her heart on a Friday, so as to give her some time to calm down (as if she could in two days). Like a petulant child she disconnected her phone and turned her cell phone on silent. She gazed half-heartedly at her inbox, secretly hoping that he would call despite the silenced phones. Or knock on her door. Anything, really.

Pepper didn't fulfill the cliché of the broken-hearted ex-girlfriend, the one unceremoniously dumped in her boyfriend and boss' house. She didn't down a pint of ice cream while watching sappy movies, she didn't cry herself to sleep, or stay in bed all day with the blinds shut. When Saturday rolled around Pepper showered and dressed neatly, then spent most of the afternoon at her favorite café, watching the heavy rainfall over a book and a warm coffee.

She wasn't prepared for Rhodey's E-mail when she got home, eight words that made her stomach clench.

_Pepper – go back to him. He's a mess._

Pepper slammed her computer shut in anger. Why should she be the one to go back, crawling into his house for forgiveness? He was the one who broke her, who sent her packing with a dejected shrug of his shoulders and barely an explanation.

_He's a mess_.

What did that mean? Pepper bit her lip at the images that came to her. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed the direct line to Jarvis, bypassing the main house line.

"Ms. Potts, do you want to-"

"Jarvis don't tell him I'm calling," Pepper said. And then, feeling slightly like the ultimate stalker, asked, "What is he doing?"

"Right now?" Jarvis said, a hint of robotic amusement. "Firing a nail gun into all glass surface in the workshop, save the automobiles."

"He's – what?" Pepper blinked. "What else has he broken?"

"The better question may be what _hasn't_ he broken. He has managed to dismantle Dummy and nearly all the appliances in the kitchen and has scattered parts of his bed across the room."

"His bed?"

"It would be best to ask him yourself. His antics are beyond my means of comprehension."

Pepper hung up and paced her living room, stubbing a toe on the edge of the couch and swearing. As she sat down to rub it, she realized she had never seen Tony be wantonly destructive – at least when sober. And, to be honest, it frightened her.

Twenty minutes later, sitting in her car outside his mansion, Pepper was suddenly certain that she should not have come back. But as she sat deliberating, the gates to the driveway opened and Pepper realized that Tony knew she was here. With a sigh she pulled her car in and made her way into the house.

When she closed the front door behind her, the living room looked more or less intact. She could see the entrails of what was once the toaster on the floor near the kitchen door, yet the house was eerily quiet.

"Mr. Stark is in the workshop, Ms. Potts," Jarvis said.

Pepper murmured her thanks and, with her heart in her throat, walked down the stairs. The glass wall at the bottom was no more; it lay in shards at her feet. Dummy's remains were in a corner, tools scattered around. Nails were all over, bent and twisted – Pepper could make out dents in various surfaces across the workshop. And sitting on the floor, nail gun resting on his knee, a smear of something across his forehead, was Tony Stark.

"Tony?"

He didn't look at her, but trained his eyes down at the cord to the nail gun.

"You know, we just fixed that glass partition a few months ago," Pepper said, wanting to kill herself for her social awkwardness.

"I didn't like it," Tony muttered.

"Yes," Pepper replied softly, "the glass was just a little too clear."

Tony sighed and finally looked up, and when Pepper saw the look in his eyes, she knew that something was terribly wrong.

"Why did you come back?"

-

He asked it softly, anger coloring just the edge of his voice. Tony was spent; there was only so much damage he could do without finally feeling stupid. He was fairly certain he reached that point when he decided to take apart the blender hours ago. And now Pepper was here, with a look on her face that made Tony at once angry and embarrassed. He wished she would leave. He wished she would stay.

It suddenly became very clear to him how much he had fucked up.

There had been that moment in the office, when he passed by two women in the lobby, huddled close and scanning the pages of a gossip rag:

"Bets on how long it'll last."

"A few weeks – he's not the commitment type."

Tony had glanced at the open page – a photo of him and Pepper from their embarrassingly public and accidental revelation of their relationship – and his head swirled. Not because he was angry at the women, or because they were right. Tony's vision narrowed because he was suddenly, fiercely sure that he wanted to be the commitment type when it came to Pepper.

The thought plagued him, and grew and bubbled for a week, and Tony found himself at a loss for what to do. He would like to think that he broke up with Pepper for selfless reasons – he was too immature for her, or she deserved so much better, or some other platitude that's said but never really meant. Instead Tony was terrified. Terrified of how possessive he had become, terrified of how much he wanted Pepper next to him, quite possibly forever. Tony was terrified of how much he needed her and so did the most logical thing: he pushed her away.

He found her Friday afternoon in her makeshift office in the mansion, her hair frazzled and a pencil sticking out of her mouth. Tony took a moment, before she noticed him, to trace the outline of her face with his eyes as he had done a thousand times before. He watched as her eyes hit on something and she took the pencil from her mouth, circling numbers on the sheet in front of her.

"Pepper."

She looked up, eyebrows raised, then smiled at him. "What time is it?" she asked, checking her watch and stretching. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Oh – well, I thought I might get something. If I order something will you eat later?" Pepper was now clicking at something on her computer. When Tony gave no reply – he was completely at a loss, torn between an insatiable desire to take her upstairs and never let her go and the need to get as far away from her as possible – Pepper glanced at him questioningly. "Tony?"

"I was thinking-"

"Usually not a good sign," she cut in playfully. Tony smiled half-heartedly at her, sad at how true her words were about to become.

"Yeah. Listen, Pepper. I'm not sure."

"About dinner? I'll surprise you."

"No," Tony said, shutting his eyes and wishing he could just do this through Jarvis. Send her a note or something. "I mean about us."

Pepper was silent; when Tony looked up she held her pencil up in midair, her mouth open slightly.

"I – look, okay, I'm just not sure. That I can do this."

Pepper looked down and pushed her chair from her desk slightly, playing with her watch in her lap.

"What are you saying, Tony?" Her voice broke his chest into thousands of pieces and Tony thought, for a moment, about taking it all back. But he knew it was too late.

"We should stop seeing each other. Romantically or whatever."

"Or whatever?"

"Outside of work."

Pepper stared at him and Tony with horror watched her face contort into a look of absolute betrayal. Her lips thinned, her cheeks turned bright pink, and Tony noted with panic that her eyes seemed to suddenly shine.

"Why? I mean," she said, choking a little on her words. It took all of Tony's strength not to run to her. He gripped the edge of the doorframe for support. "Why?"

"I just – I just can't," Tony said lamely, shrugging. Tony watched Pepper rub the back of her neck and look sideways, away from him, but he could see her face, the bright redness of her eyes as she tried not to be overwhelmed. Tony felt his resolve breaking and said, softly, "You should go."

Pepper let out a hoarse laugh that quickly turned into something else, and it made Tony's stomach heave. Before Tony had to see her face again he spun and left, taking the steps two at a time to his basement workshop. He turned on his music, loud, and sat staring at the graphics in the hologram screen. After five minutes, Tony hoarsely asked Jarvis if she had left.

"She has, sir."

Tony swore under his breath, cracked his neck, and then swiftly grabbed the bottle of liquor stashed under a desk. The dust was a testament to how long it'd been. He sniffed, considered the bottle, the amber liquid inside, and took a glass from inside the same cabinet. Tony downed the glass, and then another, before deciding that alcohol alone wasn't going to make him forget.

Hours later, when he was unlocking the door to his mansion, a brunette tucked securely to his side, Tony had nearly forgotten. He'd nearly pushed the thoughts of Pepper out. He had almost safely tucked away his gut-wrenching need for her. As the woman on his arm giggled Tony grinned, pressed his lips to her neck, and pulled her inside the house.

-

**Muah. Sorry if this seems cliché; hopefully I can redeem myself next chapter. I was originally going to make this longer, but it was a) getting too long and b) wasn't finished, and I wanted to post something before I left for spring break. So this two-parter will be concluded sometime next weekend. R&R. **


	10. Pull

**I meant to post this much sooner, but I came down with a rotten cold almost immediately after coming back from my spring break (which was excellent, btw) and thus I've been moping around and sleeping a lot. Anyway here it is, conclusion to the previous chapter. You didn't think I'd make Tony to be a jerk, did you...?**

**I own nothing**

-

As they stumbled upstairs Tony inhaled her cloying perfume and tried to block out her irritating giggles. He could do this – he had to do this. Hadn't he once been the master of this? Smirking, he pulled the woman toward his bed, spun her around, and set her down. She leaned back on her elbows, giving off another annoying giggle, and Tony crawled on the bed next to her.

She leaned in and kissed him. And it felt completely, utterly wrong. Tony pulled away abruptly and she, unfortunately, took it as a sign to deepen her forays with her hands. He grabbed her wrist before it went too far.

"Time to go."

"Hmm?" she murmured, not listening.

Tony stared at the top of her dark hair, the way it was pulled back into an infuriatingly high ponytail. She reeked of whatever the hell she had sprayed all over herself, and her skin was too dark and not freckled enough.

She was kissing his neck again. Tony pushed her away, probably a little too forcefully.

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"You need to go."

"What?"

"Yeah."

"Are you kidding?" Her heavily-lined eyes squinted at him through the dark.

"Nope," Tony answered. "Sorry. See yourself out," he added and walked toward the bathroom, leaving the brunette splayed upon the bed. Inside his bathroom Tony flicked the light on, leaned heavily on the vanity, and asked Jarvis to keep an eye on her as she made her way out of the mansion. Two minutes later, Tony heard the door slam and Jarvis confirm her departure.

He looked at himself in the mirror; his hair was disheveled, and pink lipstick tracks marked his neck. Disgusted, Tony walked back into the bedroom but was overwhelmed with the smell of the woman. The woman who was most definitely not Pepper. His Pepper. Pepper, who he'd pushed away because he couldn't deal.

Tony gave a groan of exasperation and anger. He took a pillow from his bed and threw it, causing it to crash against a lamp. Satisfied with the destruction, Tony grabbed the next pillow and threw it the opposite way, toward the closet. The pillow slammed into the doors. Feeling his anger grow Tony continued to throw his pillows, and when he ran out he pulled the duvet off and sent it sailing across the room. Finally he lifted the mattress from one end and flipped it over, kicked the corner of his bed for good measure, and stormed from the room.

Hours later he sat on the kitchen floor, pulling apart the blender. Tony hadn't slept, instead opting to relieve his emotional burdens through disassembling appliances. His cell phone was ringing on the counter above him, but Tony ignored it. _It's not like it is Pepper calling, _Tony thought darkly_. _

"Sir, Colonel Rhodes is calling," Jarvis said.

"Don't care," Tony replied, throwing the blades of the blender to the side without a glance.

"He has threatened to come over if you don't answer."

That was the last thing Tony wanted. With a sigh he stood, blender motor in hand, and swiped the cell phone from the counter. He looked at the number of missed calls, raised an eyebrow, and answered the phone.

"Seven missed calls? Seriously?"

"You were supposed to meet me two hours ago."

"Was I? Sorry," Tony said blankly, mildly intrigued by the wiring of the blender's internal parts.

"New recruits? New generation of smart defense technology? Any of that ringing a bell?"

"No, afraid not."

"Are you telling me Pepper didn't remind you? Or did you just forget on your own. As usual." Rhodey's exasperation made Tony roll his eyes.

"No," Tony snapped back. "I think Pepper was too busy storming out of my house to remind me about a God-damned recruit welcoming."

"Pepper – what?" Rhodey paused, swore softly. "Man what did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Dude."

"What did I tell you about using that word?"

"Tony what the hell did you do."

Tony threw the pieces of the blender into the corner and pulled the toaster towards him. Talking to somebody who still sounded sane made Tony realize just how far off he'd fallen, and while dismantling the blender had seemed mildly insane a moment ago, he was pretty sure that in a few hours this would look like the work of a lunatic.

"I broke up with her."

"What the-"

"Look, spare me, okay?" Tony snapped. "I'm a huge fucking idiot. There, I said it, so you don't have to."

"Is there a reason?"

"No."

"Don't make me come over there."

"I hate you," Tony muttered into the phone, unscrewing the cover of the toaster. "I overreacted."

"To what?" Rhodey asked, an edge of impatience to his voice.

"I freaked out. I don't know what the hell I'm doing." Tony pulled the heating coils from the toaster and threw them aside. "I felt like I was going to smother her, or something."

"Like...homicide?"

"Yeah, that's it, I felt like murdering her with a pillow."

"Tony you're not being clear here. You freaked out? Smothering her?"

"I want her around. A lot. And it sort of freaks me out. I'm not really a commitment type, you know."

"I had no idea," Rhodey said dryly.

"But I want to. Commit to her and all that."

"Let me see if I've got this," Rhodey started slowly. "You want Pepper, you're afraid of smothering her with how much you want her, and you want _only_ her. Yeah?"

"Yeah, about."

"Have you told her you love her?"

"I don't..._love_ her...."

Tony paused to think about it. He had never used that word to anyone besides his parents. He had never thought about it toward anyone else, not even when Stane had been like a second father to him. And the love he had felt for his mother was nothing like what he felt now toward Pepper. That, many years ago, had been a soft, warm feeling. But towards Pepper it was different. More possessive, more need, a feeling of total eclipsing happiness around her. And, more directly, a feeling of utter worthlessness after breaking her heart.

"Shit," Tony whispered, but loud enough for Rhodey to hear on the other side.

"You okay man?"

"Yeah, awesome. Who am I kidding? I don't even deserve to have Pepper."

"Shut up and call her."

"I can't – she'll resign."

Rhodey paused, silently trying to catch up to Tony's train of thought. "I think Pepper's a little more level-headed than to resign because you broke up with her."

"I brought someone home last night. Someone else."

The silence on the other line was broken only by the parts of the toaster scraping together as Tony continued to take it apart.

"Hi, hello?" Tony asked. "Are you breaking up with me now, too? Cause that would just really make my day excellent."

"You brought a woman home?" The tone of Rhodey's voice was enough to convey all the things he didn't say. He was angry, mostly for Pepper, Tony thought, and he was not trying to hide it.

"Calm down, nothing happened."

"What?"

"I kissed her. That's it. I sent her away. Jarvis as my witness."

Rhodey whistled.

"What?" Tony snapped, irritated.

"Man you got it bad. Tony Stark sending away a woman from his lair? Unheard of."

Tony's screwdriver slipped from the screw's head and he swore. "She wasn't Pepper," was all he could muster in his defense.

-

"Why did you come back?"

Pepper sighed and leaned against a counter top, her arms folded over her chest. She wanted to scoop him up, to hold him and take him to bed and keep him there. He looked tired. His hair was a riot. And the look in his eyes – a mix of sorrow and something like terror – made Pepper's pulse flutter.

"Rhodey."

Tony looked panicked. "What did he say?"

"That you were a mess."

Tony opened his mouth to protest, then closed it and shrugged. "Fair enough."

Pepper pushed her shoes off and sat down across from her, cross-legged, on the cold concrete floor. Tony gave her a lopsided smile, then he looked down at his hands.

"I can see your underwear."

Pepper rolled her eyes and pulled her skirt down in between her legs. "And here I thought we were going to have a serious conversation."

"Serious is hard for me."

Pepper looked at him, tracing the outline of his face with her eyes. It was then that she noticed he was wearing a collared shirt, something he reserved for public appearances. A chill went through her.

"Why are you dressed up?"

Tony leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair. He sat up, pulled Pepper's hand towards him, turned it over and kissed her palm hotly. "I kissed someone last night," he murmured into her skin.

Pepper snapped her hand back quickly, rubbing away the feel of his lips with her thumb. She stared at him, completely at a loss. She expected anger, or hatred, but not _this._

"Is that why you ended it?" Pepper asked, embarrassed by the weakness in her voice. "Are you bored?"

"Pepper," Tony breathed, looking pained. "Nothing else happened. I wanted it to, at first. I brought her home and took her upstairs-"

Pepper let something like a sob escape her lips, except she was more angry than sad, and she really wanted to slap him but he was too far away. Tony closed his eyes at the sound she had made and continued.

"We went upstairs and we kissed and...it just wasn't right. It wasn't you. I told her to go home."

She stared at him, knowing instantly that he was telling the truth. There was no gleam in his eye, nothing except some horrific sadness she hadn't seen before. Pepper remembered what Jarvis had said about Tony tearing up the bed and that, too, made sense.

"You can ask Jarvis, if you don't believe me," Tony muttered.

"I trust you," she replied, earning an amazed stare from him. "I'm still angry."

"You should be."

"And none of this is making sense."

"I know," Tony said. "I pushed you away for no reason. Pepper I'm terrified."

"Of what?"

His dark eyes bore into her own, then he looked away. "The other day I overheard gossip about us. They were betting on how long it'd be until we broke up."

"I wonder who won?"

Tony flinched. "It pissed me off. Taking bets on when I'd dump you? Low. And it hit me that I have no intention of letting you go – actually, I felt clingy and needy. It was weird to me."

To any other girl, Tony's speech would have seemed childish and unclear. But to Pepper it was crystalline and it made her smile softly.

"I still don't get why breaking it off was the best option."

He took her hand and Pepper didn't protest. "Look, uh – I'm in love with you. And it freaks me out."

Pepper grinned lopsidedly; it wasn't the most romantic declaration ever, considering that they were sitting on a concrete floor and that Tony had amended the sentiment with how terrified he was. Still, Pepper's stomach fluttered.

"Why didn't you say so?"

Tony blinked at her. "I, uh, well I've never done this. I thought maybe it was too early? Or too...intimidating? Or that you didn't – well and that would be lame."

"Of course I do."

"What?"

"Love you."

"Oh." Tony stared at her, then grinned and pulled her hand to his mouth again. "Excellent." Pepper felt herself tingle at the contact of his mouth on her wrist. She grinned recklessly, warm and happy and _glad_. And absolutely certain that she loved Tony Stark, and that he loved her back.

Tony swiveled and got onto his knees. He crawled over to her, dropping her hand in favor of placing one hand on her waist and the other behind them for support. He kissed her forehead and Pepper closed her eyes, her chest swelling with something unknown and happy. When she felt Tony's lips on her own she accept them, opening her mouth to his in a kiss so familiar but now, after everything, different and warmer and more intimate.

She swung her own legs out in front of her so that Tony could lay them down on the concrete. He pulled her closer; she shivered at the feel of him against her.

"So another thing," Tony murmured into her hair, his hand working its way up her thigh, pushing her skirt out of the way. "A superhero's girlfriend really should be nearby, in case something devastating happens."

"Mmhmm," Pepper replied, pressing her hips into his and eliciting a soft groan from his throat.

"I was thinking you should move in. With me."

Pepper smiled and kissed his neck. Two monumental leaps in one day was more than Pepper had been prepared for. Part of her didn't believe him; Tony enjoyed his space and his home, and Pepper couldn't blame him because she understood. She liked her apartment and her time to herself. But the way his hand was grazing on the inside of her thigh made her think she could get used to living with Tony Stark.

"Hmm I don't know," she said, continuing her ministrations on his neck. "You'll have to show me it's worth it."

Tony glanced at her, saw the smile in her eyes, and grinned back. As his mouth met hers and his fingers found their target, Pepper arched into him and wondered if make-up sex really was the best.

Three weeks later Pepper Potts had officially moved in with Tony Stark.

-

**So I find serious-Tony especially hard to write. In my mind I can't see him being very good at having serious conversations (it's hard for most people, so why not for Tony?). Instead I think he'd be shy and awkward about it. Just my take. R&R!**


	11. Publicity Fix

**First I owe two apologies: one for the delay (school, finals, broken computer, GRE) and one for the formatting errors in the last few chapters. It seems my breaks got deleted when uploading. I'll try to fix that. **

**I saw IM2, but I'm going to ignore it for the sake of this story. And speaking of this story, this is the second to last chapter before it's time for me to do something new. This chapter has been hinted at, but I don't want to give it away...**

..

"This is a waste of time Mr. Stark," Pepper said, the phone tucked under her ear as she shuffled through papers.

"You'll be great. You'll look amazing."

"No, I'll look like a bored assistant trying to get attention."

"If you wanted attention you would publically admit to being my girlfriend."

Pepper smiled softly, putting her stack of papers into a manila folder. "I'm going to cancel this interview."

"Nope," Tony said. "Unless you'd rather just go fool around in the lobby. Get your publicity fix that way."

"I am not looking for a publicity fix, thank you," Pepper huffed. "And you can't stop me from calling this off."

"Hold on," Tony said, and hung up. Pepper pulled the phone away from her ear, giving it a bemused glance, and set it back into the receiver. She stood and crossed her office, bending forward to rummage through her briefcase.

"Practicing poses for the photo shoot?"

Pepper jumped, spinning around. Tony stood in her office, shutting the door softly behind him. He wore a suit, for the first time in nearly a month, much to Pepper's pleasure. Though it didn't come without a price; Tony had insisted he deserved a kiss for such extraordinary measures, which quickly turned into a romp on the couch and being thirty minutes late to the office.

"It's not a photo shoot Tony, it's just an inane interview for an equally idiotic magazine." Pepper had been less than thrilled with _Vanity Fair_ had called asking for an interview with a "powerful woman." Which she wasn't. Really. She was only a personal assistant, and if her side job included nearly running Stark Industries well... then so be it. But in Pepper's eyes it didn't make her worthy of a center spread. And then it had occurred to her that they weren't interested in interviewing her because of position within a famous company, but rather they were interested, most likely, in hearing about Tony Stark himself. And since he no longer was eager to give interviews, Tony had told Pepper to agree.

"Are you kidding?" she had spluttered. "Sit and talk about how I make you coffee?"

"Or maybe how amazing it is to be Iron Man's girlfriend...?" Tony had suggested, and Pepper had firmly put and end to _that_ idea. She was not about to give _Vanity Fair_ the story of the year.

Now Pepper was less than fifteen minutes from said interview and she was sincerely hoping that there would be nophotography involved, and that the questions would be plain, standard, and boring. Maybe she could even write that memo while they talked-

"So what's the big deal," Tony asked, snapping Pepper from her dreaming.

"What?"

"The big deal. About going public."

"Tony I'm going to be sitting there pretending to be your press secretary-"

"Which you basically are."

"-instead of having you do your own interviews-"

"I meant about us. Going public about _us,_" Tony said, taking a few meandering steps toward her, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"What – oh. Oh," Pepper said, suddenly disoriented. "I'm not – it's not. I mean, it's _you_-"

Tony took a step closer to her and peered at her with narrowed eyes. "Are you embarrassed?"

"No," Pepper replied quickly.

"My character flaws too big to get over?"

"Tony, no it's not that."

"Worried about your stellar reputation Ms. Potts?"

Pepper searched his face, wishing she could find a way to say what she wanted to without killing the soft look in his dark eyes. She looked away, leaned against the desk, and brushed her bangs to the side.

"I'm just nervous."

She cautioned a glance up where Tony was frowning at her, puzzled. "Nervous? What, like stage fright?"

Pepper smiled, shook her head. "No. I mean... I'm afraid that as soon as we tell everyone and everyone makes a huge deal about it that you'll – that this will end."

"You said 'you.' You think I'm going to leave this because of some tabloids?"

"Tony – no I –" Pepper started and stopped, fumbling over words. "I haven't gotten my head around this – us. It's crazy. I've thought about it for a long time, you and me and...now that it's here, I'm afraid it's too good to be true. And then telling everyone would just make it that much worse if things ended."

"It won't end," Tony said, his voice dropping into a deep tone that sent a shiver into Pepper's spine. He stepped closer, close enough for Pepper to smell him, to see the soft hairs of his goatee.

"How do I know?" Pepper whispered, slowly becoming overwhelmed with his proximity. And those dark eyes boring into her.

"I don't want it to. And I usually get what I want."

Pepper rolled her eyes, exasperated, and pushed herself from the desk. "Oh well in that case, I can rest easy."

Tony took Pepper by the hands and trapped her against the desk. "You really think I'm about to ruin this?" He breathed it, his voice soft, his eyes warm and questioning.

Pepper shrugged, feeling something akin to guilt with the look he was giving her. "You don't have the best reputation. With women."

"I thought we fixed that impression."

"It wasn't, exactly, just an impression."

"But since I came back?"

"Well, no, but-"

"And since I kissed you?"

Pepper blushed, feeling her heart race at the nearness of her very delectable and nearly oppressive Tony Stark. He leaned in and nuzzled her neck, and she had no choice but to close her eyes and sigh.

"I'm being realistic, Tony."

"You're being paranoid."

Pepper was about to say something when she felt his tongue trace the lobe of her ear. Her knees weak, she leaned backwards heavily against her desk, and Tony's arm came behind her to wrap around securely.

"Tony-"

"You taste great," he murmured in response, covering her mouth with his before she could formulate a response. Pepper let herself be washed into it, the feel of his mouth against hers, his lips soft but demanding, the hair on his chin tickling her jaw, his one big hand on the small of her back. Pepper dug her hands into his hair, temporarily forgetting everything but the feel of Tony's hand on her thigh, pushing her skirt up-

Three sharp knocks on the door made Pepper shove Tony away forcefully, causing him to stumble backwards.

"_Oh my God,_" Pepper hissed, her mind whirling. "Quick, get under my desk."

"Get what?" Tony asked, eyebrows rising. "I am allowed to be in your office, you know."

"You don't look like you've been having a business meeting," Pepper hissed, her hand waving in the general area of his hips. "Get under the desk. Now."

Tony opened his mouth to protest but Pepper glared at him sharply. Her heart was hammering and her face, she was sure, was six unflattering shades of red. She gave Tony one last look when he hesitated. Pepper smoothed her skirt, fixed her blouse, and took a deep breath. With one final glance back at the desk to make sure Tony was completely invisible, Pepper stepped toward the door and opened it to find none other than Christine Everheart, camera boy in tow.

"Ms. Everheart," Pepper said cordially, smiling and extending a hand.

Everheart's smile barely reached her eyes. "Ms. Potts."

Pepper invited them in, hiding her dismay at the sight of the large camera slung around the man's neck and the suitcase on wheels that surely housed tents and lights and all the other contraptions that made photography tedious for Pepper. They settled into the two chairs across from Pepper and Pepper took her own seat, managing to avoid glancing down under the desk where her boss and lover was most likely getting a great view up her skirt.

She crossed her legs. Tightly. Tony pinched her ankle.

And so it went, for an agonizing hour and fifteen minutes. Pepper had no idea she had this much stamina for idiotic questions regarding her shoes and her car and her favorite protein smoothie. Christine, to her credit, looked equally uncomfortable with the superficial questions, but Pepper would take questions on shoes over questions about the financial stability of SI any day. Tony stayed remarkably quiet beneath, knocking his elbow only once, which Pepper covered with a grimace and a rub of her foot.

Finally – _finally_ – they packed up to go. Without a photo. Pepper saw the photo boy about to remind Everheart, but Pepper quickly and efficiently shooed them out with a handshake, a thank you, and a solid goodbye. When the door snapped shut she turned and leaned against it.

"That was ridiculous," she muttered.

"Are you kidding? I just spent an _hour_ curled in the fetal position." Tony's form unfurled itself from beneath Pepper's desk.

"If you hadn't been...insistent."

"You were more than willing."

"I was tentatively compliant."

"Totally consensual," Tony said back, catching her around the waist as she walked past. He drew her to him, a soft grin gracing his lips. Pepper smiled back, her heart fluttering as if he was about to kiss her for the first time. "Now where were we?"

"Tony. Really."

"Yes, really," he said, and kissed her soundly. Pepper smiled against his lips, inwardly rolling her eyes. Tony walked them backwards toward the desk, to the side where there was less clutter, and lifted Pepper so she sat on the ledge.

"Ah, I remember," he whispered, catching the hollow of her throat with his tongue while his hands pushed her skirt up again, gently moving so that he stood between her legs.

"We really shouldn't do this," Pepper breathed, her voice hitching when he pressed his hips against hers.

"This is totally on my fantasy to-do list."

"Gross," Pepper murmured before kissing him again, awash in the sensation of his body pressedg against hers and his hands on her thighs and-

There was a click from the door, followed by a gasp, a pause where Tony stopped moving and Pepper's eyes grew wide, her heart stopping, and then, the icing on the cake, the bright unmistakable sign of a photograph being taken.

..

"Pepper come out."

"No."

"It's not that bad"

"Shut up."

"Your legs are to die for."

"I'm going to kill you!"

Tony winced. Her shriek of anger was unpleasant. She had barricaded herself in his bathroom thirty minutes ago when she had opened to page fifty-two of the May issue of _Vanity Fair _and saw acres of her legs being roamed by Tony's hands. Their identities were unmistakable; Tony's face was half turned and Pepper's red hair was a dead giveaway. Tony chewed his lip – there was no way out of this. That damned photo boy just had to get his picture in the end.

"Question. Are you more mad because you're nearly modeling underwear in this photo-"

"_Tony!_"

"-or is it because _Vanity Fair_ seems to know everything about our relationship, including that you, apparently, love it when I serenade you."

"It does _not_ say that."

Tony grinned. "I am apparently quite the musical lover."

The door flew open. Pepper, her hair still tidy as every, had smeared her makeup just slightly and her cheeks were very pink. "I have to quit. Or move. Or maybe change my identity."

"I think I'm going to frame this photo," Tony said, moving the magazine spread away from him, as if appraising a fine piece of art. Which, really, it was, when you forgot about how lewd it looked. Pepper – she looked great. She was flushed in the photo, and apart from the dumbstruck look in her eyes, she looked very relaxed. Tony was snug between her legs, his hand high on her thigh, his face turned a fraction toward the camera, calm smile on his face.

"How can I face anyone at work after this?" Pepper flopped dejectedly onto the bed, hands in her lap. "I'll be the new gossip. How ridiculous. And unprofessional."

"You know what else is unprofessional, Ms. Potts? Making our with your boss during working hours."

"You started it!"

"Personally," Tony said, plopping down next to her. "I'm relieved. I felt so uptight, trying to hide our relationship from the fans."

Pepper gave a wry chuckle, then dropped her head on his shoulder. "Now they can rest in peace," she replied dryly. Tony took the moment of silence to play with an errant lock of her hair that had fallen down and across his shoulder. "Tony?" Pepper asked, breaking the quiet.

"Hmm?"

"You're not – this isn't going to be over. Us I mean. Because that would...really..."

Tony considered it. He really did. They were just three little words, and he was mostly sure he meant them. And had meant them for a while. But – he held back. Couldn't bring himself to say it, knew he was a coward, and tucked them away for a better time.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said instead. "I'm yours as long as you want me. And my iron friend."

"I'm really just in it for the suit."

Tony pinched her in the waist. "I knew it."

And, as they sat there in comfortable silence, their secret and private world being displayed in a magazine all over the newsstands, Tony thought that none of that mattered. All that mattered was the lock of hair between his fingers and the warmth of the woman next to him. That was enough for him.

..

**Ugh. For some reason this did not want to get written. One more piece to go... Read and review please!**


	12. Bare

**I own nothing. **

..

The first time Pepper saw Tony naked was early into her career as the proper Miss Potts and late into Tony's career as the illustrious playboy. She had come to the mansion Saturday morning, a package in hand and dry cleaning to drop off. The house, aside from Jarvis' customary greeting, was eerily quiet.

And a mess.

Blankets and pillows were strewn across the floor, plastic cups adorned everything from the couch to the corner of the Matisse painting, and some food item had seemingly exploded across the floor. But Tony was nowhere in sight.

"Jarvis, where is Mr. Stark?"

If Jarvis was capable of embarrassment for his master, this would have been an opportune time to express it. As it were, he replied in his usual dry voice: "In his bedroom."

"Thank you," Pepper muttered, wrinkling her nose as she stepped over a wet spot on the rug. She was two steps up the spiraling staircase when Jarvis interrupted her.

"I should warn you, Miss Potts, that-"

"No need, Jarvis. I'm ready for just about anything by now," Pepper replied resignedly. She wondered who had been over last night, and what, exactly had been going on.

"Is he...with anyone else?" Pepper asked tentatively.

"No, but it might be prudent-"

"To quit? Yes, I know."

"Miss Potts-"

"Jarvis is he doing anything illegal in there?" Pepper asked, putting her hands on her hips and staring up at the ceiling, as if that was where Jarvis lived. "Because you're doing an excellent job of stalling me."

"Nothing illegal, no-"

"Then it can't be that..." Pepper trailed off as she opened the door to find Tony, naked, sprawled on his back on the bed. "...bad."

Pepper blinked, then blinked again, then looked to the left. _Oh my God_, her brain screamed. _Oh my God!_ Wryly, she thought that taking a Polaroid right now would set her right for the rest of her life.

"Jarvis, why didn't you _warn_ me?" Pepper hissed, looking again at the ceiling.

"With all due respect, I did try."

Pepper thought that the easiest thing would be to back out of the room, to close the door gently and come back again in four hours. Pretend like it never happened, like she never saw her boss' naked form splayed on the bed. She peered towards the bed. He clutched an empty beer bottle in one hand possessively. His dark skin contrasted the white sheets in an appealing way, and the light that filtered through the wall of glass bathed him in its golden glow.

She laid the dry cleaning across the back of a chair, and then Pepper suddenly found herself next to the bed, appalled that her feet had acted upon their own volition, terrified of the discovery that she was, in fact, a peeping-Tom. Her eyes roamed down the curve of his upper arm, to his broad chest, to where his chest tapered into slim hips. And below that-

Pepper swallowed hard and bit her lip.

While her experience with men was far from vast and varied, Pepper thought that as far as male anatomy went, Tony's was, well, _nice_. Size wise, she would only be able to make comparisons if-

_Oh my God! Stop!_

With that thought, she shook her head and screwed her eyes shut. She had not – definitely _not_ – just thought about the best way to judge the important characteristics of male anatomy. And she had not – definitely _not_ – briefly imagined what having sex with her boss would be like.

She swallowed hard and steeled her shoulders. Pepper was a professional. Unflappable and practical. She could handle anything, including the very naked and very unconscious form of her very attractive boss lying across his very big bed. And Pepper would be damned if she let image of what Tony could do while naked stop her from acting like the decorous personal assistant she was.

Quickly and softly so as not to wake him – because that, Pepper thought, would be worse than any distracting fantasy – Pepper spread the blanket at the foot of the bed across him. She took the beer bottle from him, almost fainting when he seemed to stir just slightly. She stood still until she was sure he was still in a deep stupor, and then Pepper quickly and quietly left the room.

"Don't tell him," Pepper whispered to Jarvis as she ran down the stairs.

..

Tony woke to a raging headache. He blinked his eyes wide, his face pulled into one of confusion. He sat up, or at least tried to, for the force of his hangover knocked him back into a prone position.

"Christ," he groaned, and tried to remember what had happened last night. A party, for sure. But a small one. Some of the men from Dubai, smart and quick business men who invested ...he would have to ask Pepper. And women. Yes there were definitely women. Tony was fairly certain he kissed a few, even managed a secluded encounter with Veronica – or was it Victoria? But why, Tony wondered, was he naked on his bed, and who put this blanket over him?

He struggled to sit up fully, taking a few minutes to acclimate to the change in position and the drumming in his head. Tony groaned, rubbed his eyes, then slid from the bed to find clothing. Ten minutes later he was stumbling down the stairs, wandering past the living area where Pepper was seated, papers and her laptop spread in front of her.

Tony paused. "Ugh, Potts. It's Saturday. Seriously."

"You are the most disorganized and irresponsible person. Seriously."

"Mean," Tony grumbled back.

She looked over her shoulder and seemed to take in his appearance with more attention than normal. "Have a good night?"

"Don't remember," Tony answered. "How long have you been here?"

"Just got here," Pepper said, with a strange hitch to her voice. Tony frowned, then noticed that the living room was spotless, showing no signs of the events of last night.

"Who cleaned?"

"Mmm," Pepper murmured, brushing her bangs out of her face. Nervously. Tony narrowed his eyes – that was the telltale nervous tic. "Dummy helped me."

"Dummy. The half-wit robot? Are we talking about the same Dummy?"

"I brought your dry cleaning, and there's a stack of paper's that need your attention."

"You're changing the subject."

Pepper huffed. "I am not. I just want to reclaim what is left of my Saturday, so please-"

"Totally avoiding me. Jarvis, how long has Pepper been here?"

"Four hours, sir."

In the heavy pause that followed, Pepper's face turned bright, bright red. Which was a strange reaction to having been caught at being an overworking personal assistant. Tony grinned, leaning against the back of the couch, his torso angled so that his head was level with hers.

"You look guilty, Ms. Potts," he whispered, enjoying the way the pink looked across her cheeks, making her freckles stand out brightly. Tony watched the hairs on her neck stand up, wondering if was because of how close he was. Her ear looked so delectable-

"Why would I look guilty?" she asked, turning so she could glance at him. Her bright blue met his deep brown and she looked away. Quickly. Too quickly. Tony's grin widened. Suddenly she stood, her movement causing Tony to step away from the couch. He watched as she piled papers and her computer into her bag, her face hidden by a fall of strawberry hair.

"Fine. Run away from the guilt," Tony said, earning a glare from Pepper. "Did you dry clean that suit?"

"Yes, it's in your room. I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Stark."

Tony nodded, feeling oddly deflated as she walked into the foyer and he heard the front door close. He stood there a moment longer, rubbing the back of his neck, his headache still a dull throb. And then – and then Tony Stark had an epiphany of enormous proportion.

Pepper had been there for four hours. Four hours ago, Tony was asleep on his bed, presumably naked. But Pepper had taken the dry cleaning into the bedroom. Meaning...meaning...

"Jarvis," Tony croaked. "Did Pepper – did she – you know -"

Instead of answering audibly, the large glass windows suddenly turned opaque and flickered into a screen that showed Pepper entering his room and stopping as she noticed Tony's form on the bed.

"Fuck," he whispered, half in embarrassment and half in some sort of giddy excitement. He watched as Pepper paused near the door, then took a few steps toward him and seemed to look him over, taking in the sight of his bared body. Tony swallowed. The digital Pepper suddenly snapped to life and threw a blanket over him before scurrying out.

Tony was suddenly completely and inappropriately aroused. It was ridiculous. Really. Plenty of women had seen him naked. In fact, Tony made sort of a point of it. But Pepper – demure, kind Pepper who batted away his straying hands and lewd comments with ease – Pepper stirred something unknown within Tony, something fierce and slightly possessive and something Tony quickly pushed away.

Pepper would learn, over the years of her employment, that Tony reveled in many forms and varying degrees of nakedness. After finding Tony sprawled on his bed, she never again saw him so fully bare and exposed. Instead she caught snatches – when she caught him with a woman, when he walked from a shower with just a towel wrapped around his hips, when he went swimming.

But Pepper also learned that the idea of being bare has many meanings, and only one includes being without clothing.

Another meaning is to have nothing else left, no other disguise or protection. In a word, vulnerable.

Tony Stark worked hard to look invincible and confident. He strode when he walked, he smiled a devilish grin that could quash any doubts, and he lived as if the only moment that mattered was the current one. His detour to Afghanistan must have knocked some of that bravado away, Pepper thought, because he came back dented and bruised, and set about building a suit to hide the holes that Afghanistan had wrought under his skin.

Once in a while he let his guard down, his eyes losing their gleam and becoming darker, his smile softening, his face etched with wear and something like fatigue.

"_You're all I have_."

"_I wish I could hate you."_

"_I trust you"_

"_I'm in love with you."_

Cracks in his armor, dents in his shields – these were Pepper's favorite moments, like sweet drops of candy. Varying degrees of vulnerability, Tony Stark laid bare for Pepper to absorb and greedily wait for.

His broken admission of his love for her had wrenched her heart, making her twenty degrees warmer than the cold garage floor she was sitting on. Pepper had wondered if things would change after that, and they did, but just barely. She felt whole, happy, and full. She caught herself smiling abstractly in her office, and she caught Tony watching her, something like happiness playing at the corners of his lips. They argued. Pepper chided Tony for missing meetings and being late, and Tony made it up to her with a night together, alone, enjoying the moon's beams and the quiet whispers between two people in love.

They never talked about the heavy things. No real mention of Iron Man's missions, no discussions about weapons or world politics. Pepper wasn't sure if she was relived or annoyed, because the idea of Tony flying off in a metal suit made her sick to her stomach even as she acknowledged that Iron Man was as much a part of Tony as his hair was, or his excessively nice backside, or his miniature arc reactor.

They never talked about it, or anything terribly serious, so that's why Pepper was caught completely off guard when Tony brought something serious up, randomly, in the middle of a public place.

"Ever wonder what the hell the point is?" Tony asked, gesturing toward the pier's amusement park with the wave of his hand.

"Fatty foods and the cheap thrill of going on less-than-secure rides, I imagine," Pepper replied, twirling a strand of spun sugar on her finger before licking it off.

"I meant...what's the point of anything? Of my being Iron Man, of you being my infallible assistant?"

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him, pausing in her candy ministrations to look at him in worry and amusement. He was wearing sunglasses and a ball cap to hide his face. She was likewise wearing a hat, a big floppy one, in order to hide her flamboyant hair. Ever since the field day that was _Vanity Fair_'s photo, Pepper and Tony were followed mercilessly. And on their one night out in weeks, Pepper was not about to be stalked by flashbulbs and asinine questions.

"Heavy conversation for a cotton candy date, Mr. Stark," Pepper said carefully.

He gave her a wan smile and chuckled. "Yeah well. What if I'm not...doing my best? Fulfilling my role, or whatever."

Pepper frowned, thinking while she ran her tongue along her teeth, savoring the sickly sweet taste that lingered. "We make our own roles, Tony. No one gives them to us. You told me you knew – in your heart – that you were meant to be Iron Man. That finally you found something. What happened?"

He gave her a long look, but his eyes were hidden by his sunglasses. Pepper suddenly felt uneasy, her stomach flipping in worry.

"What if its not enough?"

"Not enough?" she echoed faintly.

Tony took her hand, absently rubbing his hands over it. "Superheroes need girlfriends."

"You have one, Tony." She said it dryly to mask the mounting fear that was flaming up from her stomach and into her throat.

"Sometimes 'girlfriend' just doesn't cut it."

She let the silence stretch while she found control of her vocal cords, her cotton candy forgotten in her hand. "Are you breaking up with me? Again?"

"What?" Tony looked at her, bewildered, then laughed. "No. Pepper – that's – no."

"Did I do something wrong? Is it because I boss you around? Oh, God, I knew this would happen," Pepper rambled, feeling her face warm and sincerely regretting ingesting all that candy. She felt sick.

"Pepper," Tony said sharply, grabbing her hand again, pulling it toward him and over his arc reactor. "Stop. You're crazy when you're nervous, you know that? That's not what I'm saying. I'm..." and suddenly he looked totally vulnerable as he pulled his sunglasses off and gazed at her, his eyes deep and full. Pepper swallowed, overcome by how open his face was, how unguarded. Bared for her to see.

"I'm trying to say that you're...well you're really everything. I need. You're it. And I'd like it to stay that way."

Pepper's stomach jumped, her throat constricting at his raw his voice, soft and deep and slightly hoarse. "Tony I'm not going anywhere."

"Marry me?"

She blinked at him, frozen, wondering if she had heard right.

"What?"

"Marry me."

"I-"

Tony leaned in and kissed her, his lips teasing hers apart to indulge in a deeper kiss. Pepper lost herself in it briefly before pulling away. But he kept her close, one hand on her shoulder blade.

"Marry me," he whispered urgently, longingly. "Stay with me forever."

Pepper smiled into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer. She wondered if this was when she was supposed to cry. Women in movies did. She smiled harder at that, pressing a kiss to his neck. "Always," she whispered in an answer. Her voice was thick, rising over the swell in her throat.

Tony grinned when he sat back up. "Sorry, uh, I don't have a ring. It was sort of spur of the moment."

"I figured that if you had planned this, you wouldn't have asked me at a cheesy carnival."

"I did buy you cotton candy."

"How generous."

"A superhero's wife...that has a nice ring to it, you know?" Tony said, standing and offering her his hand. "Plus," he added as he wrapped his arm around her waist when Pepper stood. "The thought of you as my wife is seriously turning me on."

Pepper groaned and slapped the back of her hand against his stomach. "What doesn't turn you on?"

"Plenty of things. Like Larry King. Or pineapples."

"Pineapples?"

"Long story," he muttered, squeezing his arm around her tighter. Pepper found she fit perfectly in the curve of his side, her elbow tucked under his ribs, her shoulder under his arm. She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed when he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She was pretty sure she just found the largest crack in his shell, the biggest hole under his armor. What was more was that he let her in, baring himself for her, granting her access to the secret places he hid away.

It turns out that the invincible Iron Man is really nothing more than nervous smiles, hopeful eyes, and a wildly beating heart.

..

**Fin. **

**This is where this story ends. I hope I did the ending some justice. **

**Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to drop a note. This story marks the first multi-chaptered (sort of) fic I've written and completed, and the response from you all has been terrific. Again, thank you all so much. **


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